St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green

St Mary’s is a Church of England primary school where pupils are happy, behaviour has improved and learning is rarely interrupted. However, too many pupils are absent too often and miss valuable learning. Recent curriculum changes have made expectations more ambitious and focused, but because the changes are new, some pupils have fallen behind. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is inconsistent: some pupils receive well-matched adaptations, but others find work too difficult and do not achieve as well as they could. Reading is a notable strength. Children begin phonics in Reception, staff are well trained, progress is checked regularly and support closes gaps quickly. Pupils read books matched to the sounds they know, and older pupils enjoy the reading curriculum. Personal development is good, with a wide range of enrichment, pupil leadership roles and positive relationships. Pupils show respect for different cultures and religions and trust adults to help them. Safeguarding is effective, and governors have strengthened their systems for checking progress and providing challenge. The main priorities are ensuring all pupils with SEND receive appropriate curriculum adaptations, improving how staff check understanding and help pupils remember content, taking faster and more effective action on attendance and persistent absence, and setting out what children should know by the end of Reception. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and followed significant staffing changes, including a headteacher appointed in 2022. No overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Reading is prioritised, with early phonics, well-trained staff and books matched to pupils’ sounds.
• Children in Reception begin phonics promptly and gaps in early reading are closed swiftly.
• Staff have secure subject knowledge and teach new concepts clearly.
• The curriculum has been reviewed and is now ambitious and focused on what pupils should know.
• Personal development is strong, with a wide range of enrichment and pupil leadership opportunities.
• Pupils show respect for different cultures and religions and trust adults to help them.
• Behaviour has improved, pupils are happy and learning is rarely interrupted.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors have introduced rigorous systems to check progress and provide challenge.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils give pupils confidence.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils with SEND do not consistently receive appropriate adaptations to access the curriculum.
• The school does not check pupils’ understanding well enough, so gaps and misunderstandings are missed.
• Too many pupils are absent or persistently absent, and leaders’ actions are not swift or effective enough.
• The early years curriculum does not set out what children should know by the end of Reception.
• Recent curriculum changes mean some pupils have fallen behind.
• In most subjects, the school has not considered how questioning and repetition help pupils remember learning.

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 St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green attended 92.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.7% 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, 8.3% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green 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 St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 38.0% 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, 10.2% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green received £9,211 and spent £9,714 for each of its 137 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £81,000 (£594 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 Hatfield · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green have?

St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green has 137 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green cover?

St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green?

St Mary's Church of England VA Primary School, Welham Green is at Dellsome Lane, Welham Green, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7NE.