School Chooser

Codicote Church of England Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedChurch of England276 pupilsNurseryHitchinHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
84
Above
similar schools
Likely range 70 to 91
Out of 100. Better than 93% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, February 2025
Reached the expected level at 1169%England 63%
Attendance96.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull276 pupils, 270 places
Pupils per teacher20.6School workforce census

Codicote Church of England Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Hitchin for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 276 pupils, 6 more than it has places for. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 84 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 93% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Meadow Way, Codicote, Hitchin, SG4 8YL01438 820255codicote.herts.sch.ukMrs Liz Pollard headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 25 February 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

55 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1169%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 83%83%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 79%79%20232024: 78%78%20242025: 69%69%2025
Since 2017: -1%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested552748282930
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths69%78%79%71%83%70%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%19%27%18%17%7%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0108.0109.0105.0110.0104.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0107.0107.0105.0107.0105.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0107.0105.0110.0107.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard76%93%94%75%97%70%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard78%81%88%75%86%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%93%92%93%97%87%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.4-2.6+2.2-1.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.4-3.0-0.1-0.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged36%43%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%85%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
36%77%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
76%63%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%13%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

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 places269 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
64% full

151 places were empty (36% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 7% since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 2.7 miles away in 2026. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

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. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 2.7 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary4564452.7 milesLA
2025 Primary456227all offeredLA
2024 Primary456529all 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 roll276Census January 2026
Places270102% full
Pupils from low-income families15%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support5%15 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.58 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils38%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)18%£69,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls134 / 142
White British pupils81%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 31.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (3), Other difficulty or disability (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll276277262283275277
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%17%15%13%9%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%2%4%0%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support6%5%6%4%4%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%1%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school3.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.3%3.7%4.3%5.8%2.8%2.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.7%2.7%3.4%4.7%2.2%2.1%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.6%1.0%0.8%1.0%0.6%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence3.8%7.0%7.6%10.1%5.5%4.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers12.9full-time equivalent, 15 people
Pupils per teacher20.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,555
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.12022/23

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£6,654England £7,738. Total £1.8m
Income per pupil£6,635England £7,697. Total £1.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,272England £3,480
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £279k, £1,028 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£5,128it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,654spent 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 m8812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate49 per 1,000 people46% lower than the England average
Typical house price£422,050North Hertfordshire
Nearest bus stop170 mHill Road, 9 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
Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.8 miles418No overall grade 202574Compare
Oaklands Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles195Good 202360Compare
St Michael's Woolmer Green CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England2.4 miles186Good 202266Compare
Kimpton Primary SchoolCouncil2.5 miles133Report card 202637Compare
Homerswood Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil2.6 miles218No overall grade 202442Compare
Knebworth Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil2.6 miles390Good 202371Compare
Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil2.8 miles179Good 202325Compare
St Paul's Walden Primary SchoolCouncil2.9 miles74Good 202427Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Codicote Church of England Primary School with the 45 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 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats93%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 84 is 39 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 45 · highest 87100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 84 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 84% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 70 to 91. 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 years25%above
+0.14
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 55 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.16
Ofsted grade, 1.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.08
DfE progress measure; 55 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.11
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.13
2024/25; 238 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 55 pupils
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 Codicote Church of England Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Codicote Church of England Primary School scores 84 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 93% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 70 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Codicote Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Codicote Church of England Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 25 February 2025.

How good are Codicote Church of England Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 69% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Codicote Church of England Primary School have?

276 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 270 places, so it is 102% full.

Is Codicote Church of England Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 2.7 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Codicote Church of England Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Codicote Church of England Primary School?

The average class had 26.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 38% of classes 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
Meadow Way, Codicote, Hitchin, SG4 8YL
Telephone
01438 820255
Website
www.codicote.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Liz Pollard
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of St Albans
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Codicote & Kimpton
Constituency
Stevenage
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117392 · LAESTAB 9193013 · UKPRN 10074257

Where these figures come from