School Chooser

Lordship Farm Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil447 pupilsNurseryLetchworth Garden CityHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
66
Above
similar schools
Likely range 47 to 81, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 26% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Reached the expected level at 1164%England 63%
Attendance96.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families8%Far fewer than most schools
Places3 spare447 pupils, 450 places
Pupils per teacher22.8School workforce census

Lordship Farm Primary School is a council school in Letchworth Garden City for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 447 pupils and room for 450. About 8 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 67 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 26% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Fouracres, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3UF01462 620550lordshipfarm.herts.sch.ukMrs Julie Petitt headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 21 April 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.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
As expected
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
2 February 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1164%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
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: 56%56%20172018: 64%64%20182019: 77%77%20192023: 58%58%20232024: 70%70%20242025: 64%64%2025
Since 2017: +8%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested585657535050
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths64%70%58%77%64%56%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%0%4%11%14%12%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0107.0107.0109.0107.0106.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0105.0103.0105.0104.0103.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0106.0105.0108.0106.0107.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard84%89%82%89%78%80%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard78%86%70%85%72%76%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)74%77%65%85%82%68%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.9+3.0+1.7+2.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.1-1.1-0.8-0.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged43%0%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%67%52%

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 11Boys vs girls
59%68%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
56%64%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 4 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.

Full413 pupils for 404 places, 2024/25
102% full

The school is full, with 9 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 0.7 miles away in 2026, 1.0 miles away in 2025, 0.9 miles away in 2024. 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 0.7 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 Primary60162600.7 milesLA
2025 Primary60148601.0 milesLA
2024 Primary60160600.9 milesLA

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£520,000half sold for £335k to £695k
Homes sold244December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+23%a typical home in the district sells for £423,183

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 roll447Census January 2026
Places45099% full
Pupils from low-income families8%8% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English12%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%64 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%13 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.714 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)8%£49,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls213 / 234
White British pupils69%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 3 pupils, for autism, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Hertfordshire with autism provision.

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (28), emotional and mental health (23), Specific learning difficulty (13), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), Physical disability (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll447446441438443438
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals8%7%8%7%10%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language12%11%12%11%11%10%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%10%11%14%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%2%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, 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 absence3.6%4.3%4.4%5.6%2.7%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.5%3.5%4.4%2.2%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.6%0.8%0.9%1.2%0.5%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.2%9.3%10.5%12.4%5.6%6.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.51.42.32.71.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

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 teacher22.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants14.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,654
Teachers who left in the year13%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.72024/25

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£6,450England £7,738. Total £2.8m
Income per pupil£6,570England £7,697. Total £2.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,115England £3,480
Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £465k, £1,066 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£52kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,450spent 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 m3312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate106 per 1,000 people17% higher than the England average
Typical house price£422,050North Hertfordshire
Nearest bus stop130 mPenn Way, 4 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
Pixmore Junior SchoolCouncil0.7 miles231No overall grade 202511Compare
Garden City AcademyAcademy0.8 miles215Good 202416Compare
St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles221Good 202362Compare
Hillshott Infant School and NurseryCouncil1.0 miles202No overall grade 202542Compare
Purwell Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles129No overall grade 202433Compare
Icknield Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil1.4 miles206No overall grade 20251Compare
Highover Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles433No overall grade 202595Compare
Wilbury Junior SchoolAcademy1.5 miles228Good 202435Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lordship 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.

Beats26%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 67 is 9 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 16 · middle 76 · highest 98100

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 Lordship 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
Highover Primary SchoolCouncil1.5 miles433No overall grade 202595Compare
Round Diamond Primary SchoolAcademy3.2 miles436Not inspected90Compare
Welwyn St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England9.5 miles418No overall grade 202574Compare
Applecroft SchoolAcademy11.5 miles454Good 202388Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 67 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 67% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 47 to 81. 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%in line
+0.06
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 58 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.13
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.10
DfE progress measure; 58 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well above
+0.11
2024/25; 364 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 58 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 Lordship Farm Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Lordship Farm Primary School scores 67 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 26% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 47 to 81, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Lordship Farm Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 21 April 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

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

In summer 2025, 64% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Lordship Farm Primary School have?

447 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 450 places, so it is 99% full.

Is Lordship Farm Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 0.7 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 Lordship Farm Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lordship Farm Primary School?

The average class had 29.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Lordship Farm Primary School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Fouracres, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3UF
Telephone
01462 620550
Website
www.lordshipfarm.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Julie Petitt
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
Letchworth South West
Constituency
North East Hertfordshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117330 · LAESTAB 9192416 · UKPRN 10079542

Where these figures come from