School profile

Watchlytes Primary School

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Welwyn Garden City, AL7 2AZ

Good

Map showing Watchlytes Primary School

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

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#3,123 of 15,057

Better than 79% of schools in England

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

Watchlytes Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 9 Dec 2025

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
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages3 to 11
Pupils158
GenderMixed
Head teacherMiss Sophie Wenlock
TrustIVY LEARNING TRUST
Local authorityHertfordshire
Opened01 Dec 2022
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 149333.

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 maths76%, 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.4%, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire11%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.103, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire107106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire105105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.100, worse than England, worse than Hertfordshire106105
Expected standard in reading76%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire79%76%
Expected standard in writing76%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire73%73%
Expected standard in maths84%, better than England, better than 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 pupils158
Girls71
Boys87
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.32.9%
First language not English19%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.143
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.31.9%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.22
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.8
Average class size22.6

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
67.1%
Other White
11.4%
Other mixed
3.2%
African
3.2%
Other Asian
2.5%
Other Black
2.5%
White and Black Caribbean
1.3%
Indian
1.3%
Bangladeshi
1.3%
White and Black African
0.6%

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 teacher16.7
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.9
Teachers (FTE)9.4
Teaching assistants (FTE)6.46
Support staff (FTE)8.54
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/259.5
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/258.5
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
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.19
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.46
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.16
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.16
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 absence5.3%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire4.9%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.13.6%, similar to England, similar to Hertfordshire12.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better 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 rate6.3%
Pupils with one or more suspensions3.2%
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 Watchlytes Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miSecondaryRidgeway AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimarySpringmead Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.5 miPrimaryPanshanger Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimarySwallow Dell Primary and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryHolwell Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryThe Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimaryCommonswood Primary & Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miNurseryLudwick Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
1.0 miPrimaryWaterside AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miPrimaryPeartree Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Watchlytes Primary School

What is Watchlytes Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Watchlytes Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 9 Dec 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Watchlytes Primary School rank in England?

Watchlytes Primary School ranks 3,123 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 79% of schools).

What are Watchlytes Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 76% of pupils at Watchlytes Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Watchlytes Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Watchlytes Primary School made 19 offers from 46 applications (2.4 per offer), and 16 of 16 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Watchlytes Primary School?

Watchlytes Primary School has 158 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Watchlytes Primary School?

Watchlytes Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Watchlytes Primary School?

At Watchlytes Primary School, the average class had 22.6 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.7 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Watchlytes Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Watchlytes Primary School missed 5.3% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 13.6% 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.