School profile

Priors Wood Primary School

Primary · Community school · Ware, SG12 7HZ

Requires improvement

Map showing Priors Wood Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#12,696 of 15,057

Worse than 84% of schools in England

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

Priors Wood Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 6 Jan 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils231
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Alan Bishop
Local authorityHertfordshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 117271.

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 maths48%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire64%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.0%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire11%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.105, similar to England, worse than Hertfordshire107106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire106105
Expected standard in reading76%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire79%76%
Expected standard in writing64%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire73%73%
Expected standard in maths76%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire76%75%
Pupils taking tests25--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils231
Girls108
Boys123
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.16.5%
First language not English5.6%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.205
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.2.4%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.44
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.14
Average class size29.4

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
82.7%
Other mixed
4.8%
Other White
2.6%
White and Asian
2.6%
White and Black Caribbean
1.7%
Other Asian
1.3%
Other ethnic group
1.3%
White and Black African
0.4%
Indian
0.4%
Bangladeshi
0.4%

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 teacher23.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.5
Teachers (FTE)9.61
Teaching assistants (FTE)14.23
Support staff (FTE)16.07
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/259.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/259.2
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

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.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.78
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.32
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.28
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

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 absence5%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire4.9%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.11.7%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire12.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.7%, 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 rate1.8%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.5%
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 Priors Wood Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.7 miPrimaryChrist Church CofE (VA) Primary School and NurseryVoluntary aided school
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt Mary's Voluntary Controlled Church of England Junior SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryKingshill Infant SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miPrimarySacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.2 miSecondaryPresdales SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
1.3 miPrimarySt Catherine's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
1.4 miSecondaryThe Chauncy SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
1.6 miPrimaryThundridge Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
1.8 miPrimarySt John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Priors Wood Primary School

What is Priors Wood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Priors Wood Primary School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 6 Jan 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Priors Wood Primary School rank in England?

Priors Wood Primary School ranks 12,696 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 84% of schools).

What are Priors Wood Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 48% of pupils at Priors Wood Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Priors Wood Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Priors Wood Primary School made 30 offers from 78 applications (2.6 per offer), and 28 of 32 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Priors Wood Primary School?

Priors Wood Primary School has 231 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Priors Wood Primary School?

Priors Wood Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Priors Wood Primary School?

At Priors Wood Primary School, the average class had 29.4 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 23.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Priors Wood Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Priors Wood Primary School missed 5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 11.7% 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.