School Chooser

Barkway VA Church of England First School

Primary · ages 4-9MixedChurch of England24 pupilsHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
4
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 1 to 16
Out of 100. Better than 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#15,345 of 16,041 in England#371 in HertfordshireHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Attendance87.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families29%About the same as most schools in England
Places33 spare24 pupils, 57 places
Pupils per teacher5.9School workforce census
Pupils on roll24Census January 2026

Barkway VA Church of England First School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Barkway for boys and girls aged 4 to 9. It has 24 pupils and room for 57. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 4 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

84 High Street, Barkway, SG8 8EF01763 848283barleybarkway.herts.sch.ukMiss Lara Miere acting- headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places22 pupils for 47 places, 2024/25
47% full

25 places were empty (53% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 27% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Hertfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll24Census January 2026
Places5742% full
Pupils from low-income families25%29% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan13%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size7.73 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)29%£9,300 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls14 / 10
White British pupils83%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll243333284347
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%36%12%14%7%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%6%6%11%12%15%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–9%9%32%14%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–6%6%0%0%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 87.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance87.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school33.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence12.7%9.1%9.1%6.2%2.6%3.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence12.0%5.9%6.2%5.0%1.8%2.6%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.7%3.2%3.0%1.2%0.8%0.5%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence33.3%45.5%40.0%21.1%13.3%7.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.

Teachers3.8full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher5.9Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,157
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1112 months to June 2026, mostly other theft
Local crime rate46 per 1,000 people49% lower than the England average
Typical house price£422,050North Hertfordshire
Nearest bus stop90 mBurrs Lane, 6 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Reed First SchoolCouncil1.4 miles64Good 202284Compare
Barley (VA) Church of England First SchoolChurch of England2.1 miles25Good 202316Compare
Anstey First SchoolCouncil2.1 miles39Report card 202610Compare
Therfield First SchoolCouncil3.2 miles69Good 202381Compare
Studlands Rise First SchoolCouncil3.4 miles170No overall grade 202487Compare
Hormead Church of England (VA) First SchoolChurch of England3.6 miles143Good 202479Compare
Icknield Walk First SchoolCouncil3.7 miles335No overall grade 202580Compare
St Mary Roman Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy3.8 miles227No overall grade 202588Compare
Primary schools in HertfordshireBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Barkway VA Church of England First School with the 42 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 42 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats21%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 4 is 10 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 14 · highest 91100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 42 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Barkway VA Church of England First School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Barley (VA) Church of England First SchoolChurch of England2.1 miles25Good 202316Compare
Anstey First SchoolCouncil2.1 miles39Report card 202610Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 4 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 4% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 1 to 16. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.75
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.29
2024/25; 9 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Barkway VA Church of England First School a good school?

The figures are weak. Barkway VA Church of England First School scores 4 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 1 to 16, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Barkway VA Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Barkway VA Church of England First School good at its last full inspection on 8 November 2023.

How many pupils does Barkway VA Church of England First School have?

24 pupils aged 4 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 57 places, so it is 42% full.

Is Barkway VA Church of England First School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 25 places were empty in 2024/25 (53% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Barkway VA Church of England First School?

Pupils were in school 87.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Barkway VA Church of England First School?

The average class had 7.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
84 High Street, Barkway, SG8 8EF
Telephone
01763 848283
Website
www.barleybarkway.herts.sch.uk
Acting- Headteacher
Miss Lara Miere
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-9
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of St Albans
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Ermine
Constituency
North East Hertfordshire
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117422 · LAESTAB 9193308 · UKPRN 10080110
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from