The Grange Academy

The Grange Academy is a smaller-than-average primary school within the Agora Learning Partnership. At its June 2026 full inspection, safeguarding standards were met and the school reached the expected standard in achievement, attendance and behaviour, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. However, curriculum and teaching and inclusion were graded as needing attention. The school has had a new leadership team, and more pupils now start with additional needs, including a well-above-average proportion of pupils with SEN support. Pupils generally achieve in line with national peers, behave well, feel safe and benefit from a carefully planned personal development programme and a wide range of enrichment activities. Staff morale is positive, and leaders have taken effective action to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence, although some attendance indicators remain above national averages. The main concerns are inconsistent teaching across subjects and year groups, misconceptions not always being corrected, and support for pupils with additional needs not always being precisely matched to their needs, which means some pupils make less progress and depend on targeted tuition to catch up. Leaders understand the school's strengths and areas for development, and recent changes are beginning to improve the timeliness of support. Some parents and carers have mixed views, particularly about behaviour, and do not fully understand the actions leaders are taking. The next steps focus on making teaching consistently strong, ensuring adaptations for pupils with SEND and other barriers are precise, and improving communication with parents and carers.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve in line with national peers by the end of Year 6.
• Pupils learn to read fluently and develop secure writing and mathematics skills.
• Behaviour is typically positive, with calm and happy playtimes and rare bullying.
• Staff deal effectively with behaviour and bullying concerns when they arise.
• Leaders track attendance closely and take effective action to overcome barriers.
• The personal development programme is well planned and relevant to pupils' needs and local context.
• Pupils understand relationships, health, online safety and fundamental British values.
• A wide range of free enrichment clubs and trips is available, with strong participation.
• Pastoral support is effective and helps pupils manage their feelings and worries.
• Staff feel valued and supported, and leaders consider workload and wellbeing.
• The trust maintains effective oversight and holds leaders accountable for impact.
• Targeted tuition helps pupils catch up in reading, writing and mathematics.
• New processes are improving the timeliness of referrals and support for pupils with additional needs.
• Pupils have positive, happy relationships with staff and typically feel safe.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum and teaching require attention because teaching quality is inconsistent across subjects and year groups.
• Teachers do not always identify and correct pupils' misconceptions, so some pupils do not progress as well as they could.
• Pupils' educational experiences vary between classes.
• Inclusion requires attention because strategies and adaptations do not always precisely match pupils' identified needs.
• Some pupils find it harder to complete tasks successfully and with increasing independence.
• Some pupils have to wait for specialist support, although recent processes are improving timeliness.
• Leaders rely on targeted tuition to close gaps that consistently effective classroom teaching should reduce.
• Some parents and carers have mixed views and do not fully understand leaders' actions on behaviour.
• Communication with parents and carers needs further improvement.
• Overall absence and persistent absence were above national averages in 2024/25.

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 The Grange Academy attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.5% 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, 1.5% of pupils at The Grange Academy 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 The Grange Academy had 12.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 2.7% 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, 19.4% of pupils at The Grange Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 2024–25 The Grange Academy received £6,609 and spent £7,620 for each of its 197 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £145,000 (£737 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Agora Learning Partnership, income was £7,271 and spending £7,551 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Letchworth Garden City · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

The Grange Academy is part of Agora Learning Partnership, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Wilbury Junior School Letchworth Garden City
• Waterside Academy Welwyn Garden City
• Creswick Academy Welwyn Garden City
• Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery Watford
• Meryfield Primary School Borehamwood
• The Orchard Primary School Watford
• Bromet Primary School Watford
• Warren Dell Primary School Watford
• Oxhey Wood Primary School Watford

What is The Grange Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Grange Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was The Grange Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

The Grange Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does The Grange Academy have?

The Grange Academy has 165 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Grange Academy cover?

The Grange Academy for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are The Grange Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Grange Academy?

The Grange Academy is at Sparhawke, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 4PY.