Buntingford First School

Buntingford First School is a growing school that opened in September 2023 and is part of the Scholars' Education Trust. Inspectors found a warm, welcoming and inclusive community where pupils are happy and safe. The school's early years provision, inclusion work, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing are particular strengths. Leaders know the school well, support staff effectively, and work closely with families, the trust and governors to keep improving the school as it expands. The school meets expected standards in achievement, attendance and behaviour, and curriculum and teaching. Pupils achieve well from varied starting points, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and phonics outcomes are improving. Behaviour is well managed, and pupils are respectful and resilient. However, overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, although leaders' attendance strategies are helping many pupils improve. The main development areas are embedding highly effective teaching consistently across the school and continuing to refine attendance support so all pupils attend well. Contextually, this is a small but growing school with 123 pupils and capacity for 330. Leaders adjust the curriculum and staffing carefully as the school grows, and the trust and governing body provide effective support and challenge. Safeguarding standards are met. Overall, the school is performing well, with significant strengths in its inclusive ethos, early years and personal development provision.

Strengths

• Early years provision is very well designed and a real strength.
• Inclusion is highly effective and central to the school's work.
• The school has a warm, welcoming and inclusive community.
• Pupils are happy, safe, respectful and resilient.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is a strength.
• Pastoral care and wellbeing support are excellent.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and development areas.
• Governors and trust are adept at supporting and challenging leaders.
• Staff build close, effective partnerships with families.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported.
• Phonics and speech, language and communication outcomes are improving.
• Pupils access a rich range of clubs, trips and experiences.
• Behaviour is well managed, including serious incidents and rare bullying.
• Staff receive high-quality professional learning and support.
• The curriculum builds well from early years and is ambitious.

Areas for Improvement

• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages.
• Teaching is not yet consistently highly effective across the school.
• In rare cases, learning activities are less precise and hinder pupils' progress.
• Attendance strategies need continued embedding and refinement to support all pupils to attend well.

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 Buntingford First School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.4% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Buntingford First 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 Buntingford First School had 21.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.2% 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, 13.3% of pupils at Buntingford First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 Buntingford First School received £7,790 and spent £8,189 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £72,000 (£606 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Scholars' Education Trust, income was £7,571 and spending £7,610 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 Buntingford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Buntingford First School is part of Scholars' Education Trust, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• The Highfield School Letchworth Garden City
• Robert Barclay Academy Hoddesdon
• Nazeing Primary School Waltham Abbey
• Sir John Lawes School Harpenden
• Harpenden Academy Harpenden
• Samuel Ryder Academy St Albans
• Priory Academy Dunstable
• Watling Lower School Dunstable
• Dunstable Icknield Lower School Dunstable
• Longdean School Hemel Hempstead

What is Buntingford First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Buntingford First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Buntingford First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Buntingford First School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Buntingford First School have?

Buntingford First School has 165 pupils on roll.

What age range does Buntingford First School cover?

Buntingford First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Buntingford First School?

Buntingford First School is at London Road, Buntingford, SG9 9HZ.