Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery

Beech Hyde Primary School has been evaluated as performing well across all areas, receiving a 'Good' rating overall during its first inspection. The school has established a supportive environment where pupils feel happy and safe, with a strong focus on inclusion and personal development. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and initiatives have been implemented to assist pupils who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in reading.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe due to caring staff and a supportive environment.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced, effectively delivered by well-trained staff.
• Strong support for special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) ensures inclusion in lessons.
• Pupils enjoy reading and have access to various texts and library resources.
• Positive relationships with parents and effective governance by the trust.

Areas for Improvement

• A minority of pupils still do not read with age-appropriate fluency.
• Some pockets of the curriculum lack effective planning and sequencing.

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 Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery 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 Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery had 16.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.9% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.1% 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 Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery received £9,093 and spent £8,977 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £135,000 (£842 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Ambition Education Trust, income was £8,105 and spending £7,965 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.

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All schools in St Albans · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery is part of Ambition Education Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Sandringham School St Albans
• Wheatfields Junior Mixed School St Albans
• Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School St. Albans
• Skyswood Primary & Nursery School St Albans
• St Albans Girls' School St Albans
• Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School St Albans
• Verulam School St Albans
• Alban City School St Albans
• Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City
• The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead

What is Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery have?

Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery has 171 pupils on roll.

What age range does Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery cover?

Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery?

Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery is at Nurseries Road, Wheathampstead, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 8TP.