Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is an academy converter in St Albans for pupils aged 5 to 11. It has 430 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2018 of its predecessor, Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School. In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: January 2025. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 5-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Townsend Drive St Albans Hertfordshire AL3 5RL |
| Phone | 01727890440 |
| Reference Number | 148434 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 430 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 49.07%
Girls: 50.93% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 14.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 23% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 27.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 27.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 27.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | 20 | 46 |
| 2 | 21 | 31 | 52 |
| 3 | 28 | 30 | 58 |
| 4 | 40 | 31 | 71 |
| 5 | 38 | 48 | 86 |
| 6 | 42 | 45 | 87 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 65.8% |
| White, Other | 8.1% |
| Chinese | 2.8% |
| Indian | 2.8% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.8% |
| White & Asian | 2.6% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.9% |
| African | 1.9% |
| Pakistani | 1.9% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.6% |
| Unclassified | 1.2% |
| Asian, Other | 0.7% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Caribbean | 0.2% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School, inspected in March 2018.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 10 Dec 2024 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 10 Dec 2024 | School inspection |
| 09 Sep 2021 | Academy conversion letter |
| 08 Mar 2018 | Short inspection |
| Previously as Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School | |
| 12 Nov 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Mar 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Interim assessment |
| 25 Sep 2006 | Full inspection: |
| 30 Sep 2002 | Full inspection |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 69% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 13% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 2.6 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 0.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | -0.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 15 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 12 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 1 | 1 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School had 482 pupils for 540 places. 58 places (10.7%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “North St Albans” planning area
Hertfordshire counted 240 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 216 in 2029–30, down 10%.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 630 | 630 | 630 | 540 |
| Pupils | 584 | 568 | 530 | 482 |
| Unfilled | 7.3% | 9.8% | 15.9% | 10.7% |
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 Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 5.6% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 4.2% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.6% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.6% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 1.3% |
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 Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 |
| Permanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 12.4 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 12.7 | 10.5 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 15.0% | 24.5% | 14.0% | 7.2% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – | 52.8% | 52.9% | 53.8% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – | 2.1 | 6.9 | 2.8 | – |
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, 21.6% of pupils at Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Specific learning difficulty | 34 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 26 | 0 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 20 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 5 | 5 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 5 | 0 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 2 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 0 | 1 |
| Severe learning difficulty | 0 | 1 |
| Vision impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School received £7,166 and spent £6,890 for each of its 480 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £404,000 (£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
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £388,000 | £559,000 | £468,000 | £404,000 |
| per pupil | £666 | £986 | £891 | £842 |
| In-year balance | £632,000 | -£45,000 | -£99,000 | £133,000 |
| per pupil | £1,084 | -£80 | -£189 | £276 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Bernards Heath Junior School
Watson Avenue, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5HP |
0.39 miles |
|
Margaret Wix Primary School
High Oaks, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6EL |
0.5 miles |
|
Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School
154 Sandridge Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4AP |
0.51 miles |
|
Maple Primary School
Hall Place Gardens, Maple Primary School, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3SW |
0.63 miles |
|
Aboyne Lodge Junior Mixed and Infant School
Etna Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5NL |
0.64 miles |
|
Alban City School
7 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3RR |
0.69 miles |
|
Muriel Green Nursery School
Church Crescent, St Albans, AL3 5JB |
0.69 miles |
|
St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans
St Michael's Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4SJ |
1.1 miles |
|
The Abbey Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans
Grove Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1DQ |
1.17 miles |
|
Wheatfields Junior Mixed School
Downes Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NT |
1.19 miles |
|
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School
Downes Road, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NT |
1.19 miles |
|
St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & Nursery
St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School, Cecil Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5EG |
1.24 miles |
|
St Peter's School
Cottonmill Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1HL |
1.24 miles |
|
Fleetville Junior School
228 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4LW |
1.32 miles |
|
Fleetville Infant and Nursery School
Royal Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4LX |
1.34 miles |
|
St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Hazelmere Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9RW |
1.45 miles |
|
Skyswood Primary & Nursery School
Chandlers Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9RS |
1.49 miles |
|
Prae Wood Primary School
King Harry Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 4HZ |
1.59 miles |
|
Oakwood Primary School
Oakwood Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XA |
1.68 miles |
|
Cunningham Hill Junior School
Cell Barnes Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5QJ |
1.68 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Batchwood School
Townsend Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5RP |
0.14 miles |
|
Heathlands School
Heathlands Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5AY |
0.24 miles |
|
St Albans Girls' School
Sandridgebury Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DB |
0.47 miles |
|
St Albans High School for Girls
|
0.54 miles |
|
Townsend Church of England School
High Oaks, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 6DR |
0.7 miles |
|
Loreto College
Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3RQ |
0.86 miles |
|
St Albans School
Abbey Gateway, St Albans, AL3 4HB |
0.98 miles |
|
St Albans Independent College
69 London Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 1LN |
1.08 miles |
|
Verulam School
Brampton Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 4PR |
1.1 miles |
|
Sandringham School
The Ridgeway, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NX |
1.34 miles |
|
St Columba's College
King Harry Lane, St Albans, AL3 4AW |
1.55 miles |
|
Beaumont School
Austen Way, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XB |
1.76 miles |
|
The Marlborough Science Academy
Watling Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 2QA |
1.86 miles |
|
Watling View School
Watling View, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 2NU |
2.03 miles |
|
Samuel Ryder Academy
Drakes Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5AR |
2.09 miles |
|
Oaklands College
Oaklands Campus, Hatfield Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0JA |
2.2 miles |
|
Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School
Colney Heath Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0TT |
2.39 miles |
|
Seva Education St Albans
Hazel Road, Park Street, St Albans, AL2 2AH |
3.52 miles |
|
St Luke's School
Crouch Hall Lane, Redbourn, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 7ET |
3.95 miles |
|
Sir John Lawes School
Manland Way, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4QP |
4.05 miles |
All schools in St Albans · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is part of Ambition Education Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:
- St Albans Girls' School St Albans
- Alban City School St Albans
- Verulam School St Albans
- Wheatfields Junior Mixed School St Albans
- Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School St. Albans
- Sandringham School St Albans
- Skyswood Primary & Nursery School St Albans
- Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery St. Albans
- The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead
- Ridgeway Academy Welwyn Garden City
What is Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2018 of its predecessor, Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School.
When was Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School was last inspected in January 2025.
How many pupils does Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School have?
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School has 430 pupils on roll.
What age range does Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School cover?
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 11.
What are Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School?
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School is at Townsend Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 5RL.