Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Tewin Cowper is a small voluntary aided Church of England primary school that was previously judged good but now has significant work to do in most areas of provision. Pupils are happy, feel safe and mostly attend regularly, and their personal development is a clear strength: they take on responsibilities, value clubs and trips, and speak thoughtfully about respect, difference and injustice. Safeguarding is effective, and the new leadership team has quickly prioritised safeguarding, attendance and personal development while managing substantial staffing change, including a headteacher and deputy who started in September 2024. However, the quality of education is not yet consistently good. The curriculum has been revised and plans are in place, but teaching and assessment are inconsistent, activities do not always help pupils learn the intended knowledge, and gaps in reading, writing and other subjects are not addressed well enough. Pupils with SEND are well understood but support is not used effectively enough. Behaviour also needs improvement: low-level disruption occurs too often because expectations are not applied consistently. Early years provision has similar weaknesses, and governors do not yet understand their strategic role well enough to hold leaders to account. Staff are supportive of the changes, and leaders have begun the right work, but much of it is at an early stage.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and know adults will help them.
• Most pupils attend regularly, and attendance measures are working well.
• Pupils enjoy lessons and many are diligent learners.
• Personal development is a strength, with pupils taking on responsibilities and valuing clubs and trips.
• Pupils respect differences and discuss prejudice and injustice thoughtfully.
• Pupils know about online safety, healthy lifestyles and relationships.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• The curriculum has been reviewed to identify the important knowledge pupils should learn.
• Leaders have concise improvement plans and staff are fully on board with changes.
• New leaders have quickly prioritised safeguarding, attendance and personal development amid staffing challenges.
• Leaders are attentive to staff well-being and committed to supporting them.

Areas for Improvement

• Expectations of what pupils can achieve are not consistently high enough.
• Teaching and curriculum delivery are inconsistent across subjects and lessons.
• Activities do not always help pupils acquire the intended knowledge or skills.
• Assessment and feedback are not consistently accurate or effective.
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified and addressed well enough.
• Foundational reading and writing skills are not developed as well as they should be.
• Phonics practice and catch-up support are not consistently provided.
• Support for pupils with SEND does not make effective use of the school’s detailed understanding of their needs.
• Low-level disruption, such as shouting out, occurs too often and interrupts learning.
• Adults do not consistently enforce the school’s behaviour policy and expectations.
• Early years activities do not always allow children to practise learning or align closely with curriculum goals.
• Governors lack a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and do not hold leaders sufficiently to account.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.2% of pupils at Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 15.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 38.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.5% of pupils at Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £9,742 and spent £9,195 for each of its 122 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £175,000 (£1,436 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Welwyn · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 122 pupils on roll.

What age range does Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 35% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Tewin Cowper Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Cannons Meadow, Tewin, Tewin Cowper Ce Primary School Va, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0JU.