Cowley Hill School
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Cowley Hill School is a council school in Borehamwood for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 416 pupils and room for 465. About 30 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 52 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Winstre Road, Borehamwood, WD6 5DP020 8953 2218cowleyhill.herts.sch.ukMiss Louise Thomas headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 13 January 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.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 6 October 2021 | Ungraded | School remains Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
57 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 57 | 55 | 60 | 57 | 57 | 41 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 65% | 65% | 68% | 68% | 68% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 16% | 15% | 9% | 4% | 12% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 106.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 | 106.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 106.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 105.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 106.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 81% | 76% | 85% | 70% | 79% | 71% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 84% | 69% | 82% | 79% | 82% | 78% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 77% | 69% | 72% | 84% | 77% | 85% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +2.2 | -2.1 | -1.4 | -1.6 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +2.5 | -0.5 | +0.9 | +1.3 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 65% | 55% | 41% | 47% | 61% | 56% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 80% | 73% | 74% | 79% | 72% | 76% | – | – |
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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
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.
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 stayed about the same since 2021/22.
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 (56 offers for 60 places).
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 60 | 110 | 56 | – all offered | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 133 | 53 | – all offered | LA |
| 2024 Primary | 60 | 182 | 60 | 880 m | LA |
What a home within 880 m of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 62 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.3 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (31), language and communications needs (25), emotional and mental health (10), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), Specific learning difficulty (8), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 416 | 424 | 441 | 436 | 442 | 417 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 30% | 26% | 24% | 24% | 23% | 23% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 48% | 44% | 42% | 41% | 40% | 40% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 21% | 12% | 10% | 10% | 12% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.8% | 6.1% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.3% | 4.1% | 5.2% | 4.4% | 2.2% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.5% | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 16.5% | 18.3% | 23.7% | 14.9% | 5.1% | 10.1% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 4.0 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 4.3 | 0.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlands Primary School | Council | 230 m | 218 | Report card 2026 | 48 | Compare |
| St Teresa Catholic Primary School | Catholic | 540 m | 196 | Not inspected | 46 | Compare |
| Parkside Community Primary School | Foundation | 790 m | 213 | Good 2020 | 31 | Compare |
| Meryfield Primary School | Academy | 950 m | 450 | Good 2022 | 43 | Compare |
| Monksmead School | Council | 0.8 miles | 208 | Good 2022 | 22 | Compare |
| Yavneh Primary School | Free school | 0.8 miles | 418 | Not inspected | 86 | Compare |
| Kenilworth Primary School | Council | 1.0 miles | 210 | Good 2022 | 7 | Compare |
| Summerswood Primary School | Council | 1.0 miles | 344 | Requires improvement 2024 | 2 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Cowley Hill School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Cowley Hill 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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joan of Arc RC Primary School | Roman Catholic | 10.7 miles | 427 | Good 2024 | 85 | Compare |
| Colville Primary School | Council | 10.8 miles | 477 | Outstanding 2024 | 97 | Compare |
| Three Bridges Primary School | Council | 12.0 miles | 422 | Not inspected | 68 | Compare |
| Thorpe Hall Primary School | Council | 12.6 miles | 358 | Good 2022 | 75 | Compare |
| Langford Primary School | Academy | 13.8 miles | 400 | Not inspected | 92 | Compare |
| Godwin Junior School | Council | 15.2 miles | 354 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 52 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 52% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 34 to 70. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | in line | +0.07 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 57 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.12 | Ofsted report card, 0.7 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.11 | DfE progress measure; 57 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.01 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.04 | 2024/25; 364 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.05 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 57 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | below | -0.05 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 62 responses |
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 Cowley Hill School a good school?
It is about average. Cowley Hill School scores 52 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 67% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 34 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Cowley Hill School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 13 January 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How good are Cowley Hill School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 75% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 12% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Cowley Hill School have?
416 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 465 places, so it is 89% full.
Is Cowley Hill 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 Cowley Hill School?
Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Cowley Hill School?
76% of the 62 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 79% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Cowley Hill School?
The average class had 27.7 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
- Winstre Road, Borehamwood, WD6 5DP
- Telephone
- 020 8953 2218
- Website
- www.cowleyhill.herts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Louise Thomas
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward
- Borehamwood Cowley Hill
- Constituency
- Hertsmere
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 117099 · LAESTAB 9192030 · UKPRN 10077245
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Hertfordshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.