School Chooser

Graveley Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England84 pupilsHitchinHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
10
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 35, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2023
Reached the expected level at 1138%England 63%
Attendance93.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
Places28 spare84 pupils, 112 places
Pupils per teacher13.5School workforce census

Graveley Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Hitchin for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 84 pupils and room for 112. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 10 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Ashwell Common, Graveley, Hitchin, SG4 7LJ01438 351377graveley.herts.sch.ukMrs Nicky Hand headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 May 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

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

8 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1138%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score99.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score98.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 71%71%20172018: 83%83%20182019: 67%67%20192023: 21%21%20232024: 75%75%20242025: 38%38%2025
Since 2017: -33%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested8814151214
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths38%75%21%67%83%71%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%14%7%8%7%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score99.0104.0104.0104.0105.0108.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score98.0102.0102.0103.0105.0104.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score98.0102.0102.0102.0103.0103.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%88%57%80%92%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard50%75%29%80%83%93%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)50%75%36%73%92%79%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.5-1.3-1.1+2.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.1-2.8-0.8-1.6

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.

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.

A few spare places100 pupils for 109 places, 2024/25
92% full

About 9 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 10% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 (14 offers for 16 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary163214all offeredLA
2025 Primary16296all offeredLA
2024 Primary164115all 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 roll84Census January 2026
Places11275% full
Pupils from low-income families16%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English21%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support31%26 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan12%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.04 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)21%£29,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls46 / 38
White British pupils62%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 12.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 24.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (15), emotional and mental health (11), Specific learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Physical disability (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll849896929190
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%13%15%16%14%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language21%17%16%4%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support31%30%30%25%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%4%7%7%7%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school24.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils18.42024/25, 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 absence7.0%7.6%7.2%8.3%3.2%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.7%5.8%5.2%6.4%2.7%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.9%2.0%1.9%0.6%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence24.0%17.5%17.3%24.1%4.8%4.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate18.40.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.2full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher13.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,884
Teachers who left in the year38%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies1
Sick days per teacher24.62024/25

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£8,710England £7,738. Total £854k
Income per pupil£8,384England £7,697. Total £822k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,334England £3,480
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £108k, £1,102 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£32kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,710spent 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 m2712 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate49 per 1,000 people46% lower than the England average
Typical house price£422,050North Hertfordshire
Nearest bus stop280 mThe Waggon and Horses PH, 3 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
Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolCouncil1.1 miles94Good 202342Compare
Almond Hill Junior SchoolCouncil1.3 miles347Report card 202656Compare
Trotts Hill Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.5 miles236Good 202288Compare
The Leys Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.5 miles406Good 202442Compare
Letchmore Infants' and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.5 miles295Outstanding 202495Compare
The Giles Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.6 miles325Good 202344Compare
Giles Junior SchoolCouncil1.6 miles346Good 202317Compare
Woolenwick Junior SchoolCouncil1.7 miles232Good 202327Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Graveley Primary School with the 44 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 44 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 10 is 33 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 43 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 44 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Graveley Primary 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
Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolCouncil1.1 miles94Good 202342Compare
Chalton Lower SchoolCouncil12.2 miles65Good 202358Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 10 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 10% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 35. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%below
-0.13
2023 results; 14 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.13
DfE progress measure; 14 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.15
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.11
2024/25; 96 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.17
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 14 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 Graveley Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Graveley Primary School scores 10 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 35, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Graveley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Graveley Primary School good at its last full inspection on 16 May 2023.

How good are Graveley Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 38% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Graveley Primary School have?

84 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 112 places, so it is 75% full.

Is Graveley Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 9 places were empty in 2024/25 (8% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Graveley Primary School?

Pupils were in school 93.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Graveley Primary School?

The average class had 21.0 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
Ashwell Common, Graveley, Hitchin, SG4 7LJ
Telephone
01438 351377
Website
www.graveley.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Nicky Hand
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of St Albans
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Graveley, St Ippolyts & Wymondley
Constituency
Hitchin
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117395 · LAESTAB 9193018 · UKPRN 10070380

Where these figures come from