School Chooser

Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil279 pupilsNurserySt AlbansHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
37
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 17 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#10,137 of 16,041 in England#262 in HertfordshireHow it is worked out
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places43 spare279 pupils, 322 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll279Census January 2026

Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School is a council school in St Albans for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 279 pupils and room for 322. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 37 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

154 Sandridge Road, St Albans, AL1 4AP01727 852106bernardsheath.herts.sch.ukMrs Hannah Rimmer headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 28 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
26 January 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full257 pupils for 270 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (57 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary6014857– all offeredLA
2025 Primary9018882– all offeredLA
2024 Primary9022781– all offeredLA

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 roll279Census January 2026
Places32287% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English23%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%24 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.99 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)6%£21,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls140 / 139
White British pupils60%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (6), Physical disability (3), emotional and mental health (3), Hearing impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll279291302309308300
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%6%5%4%4%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language23%22%21%18%17%11%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–8%9%7%6%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–1%2%3%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school12.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%4.6%4.9%5.6%2.7%2.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.6%4.4%5.3%2.6%2.4%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.0%0.5%0.4%0.1%0.4%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence12.0%8.6%10.5%12.8%6.0%2.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.01.30.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.5full-time equivalent, 20 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,007
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.22024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,310England £7,738. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£7,295England £7,697. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,087England £3,480
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £214k, £768 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£4,104it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,310spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m12712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate41 per 1,000 people55% lower than the England average
Typical house price£621,000St Albans
Nearest bus stop170 mSeymour Road, 11 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
Bernards Heath Junior SchoolCouncil380 m353Good 202391Compare
Maple Primary SchoolCouncil720 m214Report card 202695Compare
Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolAcademy820 m430Not inspected77Compare
Alban City SchoolFree school930 m381Good 202393Compare
Aboyne Lodge Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolCouncil0.7 miles198Good 202381Compare
St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & NurseryAcademy0.8 miles410Good 2023–Compare
Fleetville Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.9 miles304Outstanding 202399Compare
Fleetville Junior SchoolAcademy0.9 miles358Good 202393Compare
Primary schools in HertfordshirePrimary schools in St AlbansBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats4%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 37 is 47 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 84 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery 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
Fleetville Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.9 miles304Outstanding 202399Compare
Fleetville Junior SchoolAcademy0.9 miles358Good 202393Compare
Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery SchoolAcademy0.9 miles243No overall grade 202584Compare
Oakwood Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles317Good 202482Compare
The Wroxham SchoolAcademy6.5 miles218Good 202482Compare
Cassiobury Junior SchoolCouncil7.7 miles359Good 202483Compare
Bushey Manor Junior SchoolCouncil8.2 miles235Good 202375Compare
Bushey Heath Primary SchoolCouncil8.6 miles242Outstanding 202497Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 37 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 37% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 17 to 65. 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
-0.07
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.06
2024/25; 184 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 Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School a good school?

It is about average. Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School scores 37 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 17 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 28 April 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How many pupils does Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School have?

279 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 322 places, so it is 87% full.

Is Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Bernards Heath Infant and Nursery School?

The average class had 26.9 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
154 Sandridge Road, St Albans, AL1 4AP
Telephone
01727 852106
Website
www.bernardsheath.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Hannah Rimmer
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Bernards Heath
Constituency
St Albans
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117135 · LAESTAB 9192090 · UKPRN 10074106
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from