Hartsbourne Primary School

Hartsbourne Primary School is performing well overall, maintaining a 'Good' rating in its recent inspection. The school is noted for its ambitious vision that supports pupils' achievements particularly in mathematics and reading. A robust curriculum is in place, fostering a well-rounded education and creating a nurturing environment where students can thrive. Strong relationships among students and staff contribute to a positive atmosphere, and the school's commitment to personal development is exceptional, offering diverse experiences that enhance learning and well-being. Despite these strengths, there are some areas for improvement. Certain teaching strategies occasionally fail to maximize learning time, which can affect how well some pupils progress. The school is part of the Bushey St James Trust, benefiting from shared leadership and expertise, which aids in its ongoing development and support for staff and pupils alike.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well, especially in mathematics and reading.
• Curriculum development has progressed rapidly since the last inspection.
• Strong relationships foster a supportive learning environment.
• Personal development programs are exceptionally well thought-out.
• The school has a robust system for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND.
• High-quality phonics teaching ensures most pupils are fluent readers by the end of key stage one.
• Creative approaches to promoting positive attendance engage pupils effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always make the best use of learning time.
• Opportunities to advance pupils' learning are sometimes missed.

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 Hartsbourne Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Hartsbourne 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 Hartsbourne Primary School had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.3% 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, 11.8% of pupils at Hartsbourne Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 Hartsbourne Primary School received £6,905 and spent £6,873 for each of its 189 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £61,000 (£323 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Bushey St James Trust, income was £8,020 and spending £8,278 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 Bushey · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Hartsbourne Primary School is part of Bushey St James Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Bushey Meads School Bushey
• Little Reddings Primary School Bushey

What is Hartsbourne Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hartsbourne Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Hartsbourne Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hartsbourne Primary School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Hartsbourne Primary School have?

Hartsbourne Primary School has 195 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hartsbourne Primary School cover?

Hartsbourne Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Hartsbourne Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hartsbourne Primary School?

Hartsbourne Primary School is at Hartsbourne Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire, WD23 1SJ.