School Chooser

Lodge Farm Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedFoundation386 pupilsNurseryStevenageHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
7
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 13
Out of 100. Better than 9% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, April 2025
Reached the expected level at 1137%England 63%
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places49 spare386 pupils, 435 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census

Lodge Farm Primary School is a foundation school in Stevenage for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 386 pupils and room for 435. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 7 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 9% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Mobbsbury Way, Chells, Stevenage, SG2 0HP01438 236600lodgefarm.herts.sch.ukMrs Joanna Farbon headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 29 April 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”
Requires improvement
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Requires improvement
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1137%
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 score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 60%60%20182019: 51%51%20192023: 48%48%20232024: 48%48%20242025: 37%37%2025
Since 2017: -30%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested605660596060
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths37%48%48%51%60%67%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%7%5%10%8%17%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0106.0103.0102.0104.0103.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0104.0102.0103.0102.0105.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0108.0105.0106.0106.0105.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard75%80%68%66%73%75%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard68%71%67%66%72%78%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)40%52%72%75%78%78%
Reading progressReading progress score-3.2-0.9-1.8-0.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.9-1.1-3.2+1.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged18%50%6%38%38%42%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged44%48%65%56%66%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. 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

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
18%44%
Gap 26 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
38%36%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
62%37%
Gap 25 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%0%
No gapEngland 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 places380 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
91% full

About 40 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have fallen by 6% 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 (32 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary609032all offeredLA
2025 Primary609138all offeredLA
2024 Primary609938all 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 roll386Census January 2026
Places43589% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English18%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%61 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.912 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)17%£91,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls193 / 193
White British pupils69%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 23.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.4 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (37), emotional and mental health (11), Specific learning difficulty (10), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (7), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll386412427438432450
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%19%14%18%15%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language18%20%19%15%16%13%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%15%13%14%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%3%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils7.52024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.6%5.6%6.2%6.7%3.4%5.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.5%3.8%4.7%5.0%2.5%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.9%1.5%1.7%0.9%1.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.1%12.7%16.7%19.8%6.6%9.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate7.54.72.10.50.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions11000

Staff and money

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

Teachers19.4full-time equivalent, 22 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,762
Teachers who left in the year38%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.02024/25

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£6,159England £7,738. Total £2.5m
Income per pupil£5,999England £7,697. Total £2.4m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,512England £3,480
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £395k, £979 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£64kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,159spent 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 m33112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate46 per 1,000 people50% lower than the England average
Typical house price£335,000Stevenage
Nearest bus stop170 mNobel School, 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
Camps Hill Primary SchoolAcademy280 m462Good 202419Compare
Moss Bury Primary School and NurseryCouncil870 m226Good 202248Compare
Bedwell Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles295Good 202236Compare
Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy0.6 miles433Good 2023Compare
Martins Wood Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles532Report card 202525Compare
Ashtree Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles209Requires improvement 20210Compare
The Giles Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.0 miles325Good 202344Compare
Giles Junior SchoolCouncil1.0 miles346Good 202317Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lodge Farm Primary 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.

Beats9%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the bottom of its group. Its score of 7 is 31 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 38 · highest 95100

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 Lodge Farm 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
Flamstead End SchoolAcademy14.2 miles474No overall grade 202563Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 7 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 7% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 13. 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
-0.14
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 60 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well below
-0.31
Ofsted grade, 1.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.23
DfE progress measure; 60 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.04
2024/25; 357 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.15
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 60 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 Lodge Farm Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Lodge Farm Primary School scores 7 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 9% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 13, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Lodge Farm Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lodge Farm Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 29 April 2025.

How good are Lodge Farm Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 37% 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.

How many pupils does Lodge Farm Primary School have?

386 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 435 places, so it is 89% full.

Is Lodge Farm Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 40 places were empty in 2024/25 (10% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Lodge Farm Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lodge Farm Primary School?

The average class had 23.9 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
Mobbsbury Way, Chells, Stevenage, SG2 0HP
Telephone
01438 236600
Website
www.lodgefarm.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Joanna Farbon
Type of school
Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Chells
Constituency
Stevenage
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2000 (result of amalgamation)
URN
132091 · LAESTAB 9192008 · UKPRN 10073630
Formerly
Lodge Farm Junior Mixed School, Lodge Farm Infants' School

Where these figures come from