School profile

Cowley Hill School

Primary · Community school · Borehamwood, WD6 5DP

Good

Map showing Cowley Hill School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#3,333 of 15,057

Better than 77% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Cowley Hill School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 13 Jan 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils416
GenderMixed
Head teacherMiss Louise Thomas
Local authorityHertfordshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 117099.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolHertfordshireEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths75%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire64%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.12%, better than England, similar to Hertfordshire11%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire107106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire106105
Expected standard in reading81%, better than England, similar to Hertfordshire79%76%
Expected standard in writing77%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire73%73%
Expected standard in maths84%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire76%75%
Pupils taking tests57--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils416
Girls217
Boys199
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.29.6%
First language not English48.1%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.419
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.391
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.6.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.78
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.6
Average class size27.7

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
39.2%
Other White
31%
African
6.3%
Other Asian
3.4%
Indian
3.1%
Other ethnic group
2.9%
White and Black Caribbean
2.6%
Other mixed
2.6%
White and Black African
1.7%
White and Asian
1.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher20.1
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.1
Teachers (FTE)20.4
Teaching assistants (FTE)16.72
Support staff (FTE)21.94
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2519.6
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2515.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.8

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.53
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.108
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.33
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.33
Applications from another local authority (Reception)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolHertfordshireEngland
Overall absence6.6%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire4.9%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.18.9%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire12.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.9%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate4%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.4%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Cowley Hill School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryWoodlands Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.3 miSecondaryHertswood AcademyAcademy converter
Good
0.3 miPrimarySt Teresa Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryParkside Community Primary SchoolFoundation school
Good
0.6 miSecondaryElstree Screen Arts AcademyUniversity technical college
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimaryMeryfield Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miSecondaryYavneh CollegeAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryMonksmead SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryYavneh Primary SchoolFree schools
Outstanding
1.0 miPrimaryKenilworth Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Cowley Hill School

What is Cowley Hill School's Ofsted rating?

Cowley Hill School is rated Good, last inspected on 13 Jan 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Cowley Hill School rank in England?

Cowley Hill School ranks 3,333 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 77% of schools).

What are Cowley Hill School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 75% of pupils at Cowley Hill School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Cowley Hill School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Cowley Hill School made 53 offers from 108 applications (2 per offer), and 33 of 33 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Cowley Hill School?

Cowley Hill School has 416 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Cowley Hill School?

Cowley Hill School had 419 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Cowley Hill School?

At Cowley Hill School, the average class had 27.7 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 20.1 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Cowley Hill School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Cowley Hill School missed 6.6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 18.9% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.