School profile

William Ransom Primary School

Primary · Community school · Hitchin, SG4 9QB

Requires improvement

Map showing William Ransom Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#2,457 of 15,057

Better than 83% of schools in England

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

William Ransom Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 18 Mar 2025

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Quality of education
Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Requires improvement
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 11
Pupils419
GenderMixed
Head teacherMr Tony Plunkett
Local authorityHertfordshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 117314.

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 maths78%, 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.8%, similar to England, worse than Hertfordshire11%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Hertfordshire107106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than Hertfordshire105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Hertfordshire106105
Expected standard in reading87%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire79%76%
Expected standard in writing80%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire73%73%
Expected standard in maths85%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire76%75%
Pupils taking tests60--

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

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils419
Girls207
Boys212
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.1.7%
First language not English12.2%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.420
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0.2%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.49
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.18
Average class size29.9

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
55.8%
Other White
12.4%
Indian
6%
White and Asian
5.7%
Other Asian
5.7%
Other mixed
4.1%
Other ethnic group
2.1%
Chinese
1.7%
White and Black Caribbean
1.4%
Caribbean
0.7%

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 teacher25
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.12.2
Teachers (FTE)16.74
Teaching assistants (FTE)17.61
Support staff (FTE)23.32
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2519.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2516.3
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251.3
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251.7

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.60
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.175
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.65
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.60
Applications from another local authority (Reception)2

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 absence3.8%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire4.9%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.6.8%, better than England, better than Hertfordshire12.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.8%, similar to England, similar to 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 rate0.5%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.2%
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 William Ransom Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimarySt Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, HitchinVoluntary aided school
Good
0.3 miPrimaryMary Exton Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.4 miSecondaryHitchin Girls' SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.6 miPrimaryWhitehill Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryHighbury Infant School and NurseryCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryPurwell Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miNot applicableKingshott SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.8 miPrimaryHighover Primary SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding
0.9 miSecondaryHitchin Boys' SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.9 miNurseryYork Road Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about William Ransom Primary School

What is William Ransom Primary School's Ofsted rating?

William Ransom Primary School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 18 Mar 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does William Ransom Primary School rank in England?

William Ransom Primary School ranks 2,457 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 83% of schools).

What are William Ransom Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 78% of pupils at William Ransom Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into William Ransom Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, William Ransom Primary School made 60 offers from 175 applications (2.9 per offer), and 60 of 65 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend William Ransom Primary School?

William Ransom Primary School has 419 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of William Ransom Primary School?

William Ransom Primary School had 420 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at William Ransom Primary School?

At William Ransom Primary School, the average class had 29.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 25 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at William Ransom Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at William Ransom Primary School missed 3.8% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 6.8% 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.