School Chooser

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil218 pupilsNurseryWelwyn Garden CityHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
42
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 67
Out of 100. Better than 54% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1162%England 63%
Attendance95.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places18 spare218 pupils, 236 places
Pupils per teacher18.1School workforce census

Homerswood Primary and Nursery School is a council school in Welwyn Garden City for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 218 pupils and room for 236. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 42 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 54% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Kirklands, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7RF01707 320610homerswood.herts.sch.ukMiss Mica Kettle headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 October 2024, 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”
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

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

Reached the expected level at 1162%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level10%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 36%36%20182019: 47%47%20192023: 67%67%20232024: 67%67%20242025: 62%62%2025
Since 2017: -5%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested293030302830
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths62%67%67%47%36%67%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths10%3%0%7%7%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0104.0104.0101.0102.0105.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0103.0102.0101.0100.0103.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0106.0105.0103.0102.0106.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard72%70%77%50%57%77%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard69%77%70%70%57%73%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)62%70%70%70%57%77%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.3-3.4-1.6+0.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.6-3.6-2.3-2.8
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged20%43%56%8%50%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged84%74%43%56%73%

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. 1 of the 4 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
20%84%
Gap 64 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
43%80%
Gap 37 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
63%62%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%10%
Gap 10 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.

A few spare places197 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
94% full

About 13 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

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 (25 offers for 30 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary307025all offeredLA
2025 Primary3082301.2 milesLA
2024 Primary308930760 mLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 0.9 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 0.9 miles of the school£400,000half sold for £295k to £507k
Homes sold337December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district-8%a typical home in the district sells for £432,500

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.

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 roll218Census January 2026
Places23692% full
Pupils from low-income families21%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English17%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.48 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)22%£68,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls111 / 107
White British pupils76%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 28.3 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: Autistic spectrum disorder (13), emotional and mental health (9), language and communications needs (7), Specific learning difficulty (6), Hearing impairment (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll218213221226220230
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals21%23%22%20%20%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language17%21%21%22%9%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support10%10%9%8%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%4%3%4%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.0%5.5%5.3%6.0%4.3%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.2%4.2%4.1%4.8%3.3%2.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%1.3%1.3%1.2%1.0%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.0%11.2%14.4%16.9%14.3%8.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.37.22.73.61.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers11.8full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher18.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,743
Teachers who left in the year7%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.72024/25

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£7,770England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£7,385England £7,697. Total £1.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,611England £3,480
Money in reserve15%A healthy amount put by: £227k, £1,100 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£79kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£7,770spent 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 m17312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate54 per 1,000 people41% lower than the England average
Typical house price£430,000Welwyn Hatfield
Nearest bus stop220 mShoplands, 10 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
Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil310 m179Good 202325Compare
Templewood Primary SchoolCouncil860 m225Good 202360Compare
St John's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England0.6 miles224Good 202387Compare
Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles418No overall grade 202574Compare
Waterside AcademyAcademy1.0 miles166Report card 202635Compare
The Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles211Not inspectedCompare
Panshanger Primary SchoolCouncil1.4 miles240Good 202377Compare
Peartree Primary SchoolAcademy1.4 miles184Not inspected83Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Homerswood Primary and Nursery School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats54%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 42 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 42 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Homerswood Primary 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
Fair Field Junior SchoolAcademy11.0 miles206Good 202368Compare
Bournehall Primary SchoolCouncil13.4 miles205No overall grade 202476Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 42 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 42% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 67. 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%in line
-0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 29 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.11
DfE progress measure; 29 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.01
2024/25; 177 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 29 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 Homerswood Primary and Nursery School a good school?

It is about average. Homerswood Primary and Nursery School scores 42 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 54% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 67, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Homerswood Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Homerswood Primary and Nursery School not judged at its last full inspection on 15 October 2024.

How good are Homerswood Primary and Nursery School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 62% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 10% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Homerswood Primary and Nursery School have?

218 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 236 places, so it is 92% full.

Is Homerswood Primary and Nursery School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 13 places were empty in 2024/25 (6% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Homerswood Primary and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Homerswood Primary and Nursery School?

The average class had 27.4 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
Kirklands, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7RF
Telephone
01707 320610
Website
www.homerswood.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Miss Mica Kettle
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
Sherrards
Constituency
Welwyn Hatfield
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117252 · LAESTAB 9192283 · UKPRN 10079560

Where these figures come from