Schools by area › Hertfordshire › How Wood Primary and Nursery School
How Wood Primary and Nursery School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 3–11 · Community school
Spooners Drive, Park Street, St Albans AL2 2HU · howwood.herts.sch.uk · 01727 768885
Overview
- Ofsted
- Good
- 2019 framework · inspected Mar 2023
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 62%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Hertfordshire 64%, England 62%
- Last distance offered
- No limit
- Reception, September 2026 entry · Hertfordshire Council
- Demand for places
- 0.9
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 215
- 98% of 220 places
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Nursery class
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 12.8%
- First language not English
- 9.8%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2026, everyone who applied was offered a place. Source: Hertfordshire Council’s document.
For Reception in September 2026, 17 families put the school first and 19 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
Demand for places
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 19 | 17 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 30 | 31 | 1▲ | 90% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 30 | 30 | 1 | 97% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 30 | 27 | 0.9 | 96% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 100% |
Last distance offered
| Reception | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | All | |
| September 2022 | All | |
| September 2025 | 0.77 mi1.24 km | |
| September 2024 | 2.20 mi3.54 km | |
Every applicant was offered a place (19 allocations for 30 places).
Every applicant was offered a place (25 allocations for 30 places).
Results
In 2024/25, 62% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 4% the higher standard. Across Hertfordshire it was 64%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ●62% | 62% | ||
| ▼4% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ●105 | 106 | ||
| ●103 | 105 | ||
| ●106 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
How Wood Primary and Nursery School was judged Good at its last graded inspection, on 2 March 2023, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Good
- Inspected
- 2 Mar 2023
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Good |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Good |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Good |
| Early years | Good |
Previously: Good, graded inspection, Sept 2012
Earlier inspections
Before September 2019
Sept 2012Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good Feb 2010Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years Good
What parents said
98% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (59 replies, to 1 January 2024).
- Recommend
- 98%
- Replies
- 59
- 27% · 1 Jan 2024
based on the 64% who raised concerns
based on the 31% who had a child bullied
based on 10 parents (17%) with SEND