School Chooser

The Leys Primary and Nursery School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil406 pupilsNurseryStevenageHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
42
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 25 to 62
Out of 100. Better than 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Reached the expected level at 1158%England 63%
Attendance95.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
Places74 spare406 pupils, 480 places
Pupils per teacher21.2School workforce census

The Leys Primary and Nursery School is a council school in Stevenage for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 406 pupils and room for 480. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 42 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Ripon Road, Stevenage, SG1 4QZ01438 314148leys.herts.sch.ukMrs Davinder Khangura headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 March 2024, 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

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

Reached the expected level at 1158%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
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: 64%64%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 51%51%20232024: 67%67%20242025: 58%58%2025
Since 2017: -9%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested535770666651
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths58%67%51%71%64%67%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%9%3%23%12%12%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0106.0105.0105.0105.0106.0106.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0105.0103.0106.0104.0105.0105.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0105.0104.0106.0104.0106.0106.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard68%82%69%77%80%80%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard72%75%70%77%71%82%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)75%74%54%77%74%80%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.6-1.6-0.1+1.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.7-1.1-0.8+0.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged53%42%20%53%62%71%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged61%73%64%79%65%65%

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. 3 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
53%61%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
56%61%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
62%58%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%13%
Gap 6 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.

Plenty of spare places375 pupils for 562 places, 2024/25
67% full

187 places were empty (33% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 1.6 miles away in 2026. 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 1.6 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 Primary60124601.6 milesLA
2025 Primary609340all offeredLA
2024 Primary6011045all offeredLA

What a home within 1.6 miles of the school costs

Typical sale price within 1.6 miles of the school£350,000half sold for £300k to £432k
Homes sold1,156December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+4%a typical home in the district sells for £335,250

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 roll406Census January 2026
Places48085% full
Pupils from low-income families25%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English25%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%84 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%25 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.914 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils7%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)26%£147,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls208 / 198
White British pupils58%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.8 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 25.6 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (40), language and communications needs (37), Specific learning difficulty (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (8), Vision impairment (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll406407413438433446
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%25%23%24%25%24%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language25%27%24%21%19%18%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support23%22%24%18%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%3%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.2%5.1%5.1%6.7%3.0%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.1%3.9%4.0%5.5%2.2%3.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.1%1.1%1.1%0.8%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.5%13.4%12.3%18.7%5.9%7.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.97.35.31.44.3
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00100

Staff and money

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

Teachers18.5full-time equivalent, 21 people
Pupils per teacher21.2Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants24.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,979
Teachers who left in the year23%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.62024/25

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£6,641England £7,738. Total £2.6m
Income per pupil£6,705England £7,697. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,070England £3,480
Money in reserve7%Not much put by: £185k, £464 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£26kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,641spent 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 m32712 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate67 per 1,000 people27% lower than the England average
Typical house price£335,000Stevenage
Nearest bus stop210 mThe Leys School, 13 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
Round Diamond Primary SchoolAcademy590 m436Not inspected90Compare
The Giles Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil600 m325Good 202344Compare
Giles Junior SchoolCouncil600 m346Good 202317Compare
Martins Wood Primary SchoolAcademy1000 m532Report card 202525Compare
Trotts Hill Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil0.6 miles236Good 202288Compare
Almond Hill Junior SchoolCouncil0.9 miles347Report card 202656Compare
Moss Bury Primary School and NurseryCouncil1.0 miles226Good 202248Compare
Lodge Farm Primary SchoolFoundation1.3 miles386No overall grade 20257Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares The Leys Primary and Nursery 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.

Beats55%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 42 is 12 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 31 · 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 The Leys 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
Wormley CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England14.8 miles452Report card 202672Compare

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: 25 to 62. 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
-0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 53 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.14
DfE progress measure; 53 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.06
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 343 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 53 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 The Leys Primary and Nursery School a good school?

It is about average. The Leys 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 55% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 25 to 62, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is The Leys Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Leys Primary and Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 5 March 2024.

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

In summer 2025, 58% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does The Leys Primary and Nursery School have?

406 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 480 places, so it is 85% full.

Is The Leys Primary and Nursery School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 1.6 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 The Leys Primary and Nursery School?

Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at The Leys Primary and Nursery School?

The average class had 25.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 7% of classes 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
Ripon Road, Stevenage, SG1 4QZ
Telephone
01438 314148
Website
www.leys.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Davinder Khangura
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
St Nicholas
Constituency
Stevenage
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117364 · LAESTAB 9192465 · UKPRN 10077236

Where these figures come from