Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School

About Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School

Aston St Mary's Church of England Aided Primary School sits in a tiny village in East Hertfordshire, but its academic results are anything but small-scale. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 tests, 94% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — a figure that towers over the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64% for primary schools. That puts the school first out of 47 primaries in East Hertfordshire and in the top 1% nationally. The gap is even starker when you look at the higher standard: 13% of pupils scored at that level in all three subjects, and in writing alone, half of all pupils achieved the higher mark. Reading and maths average scores both hit 108, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. For a school with just 132 pupils, these are punchy numbers that suggest a focused, high-expectation environment.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, awarded Outstanding grades across every category that was judged — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. It's a repeat of the Outstanding rating the school held in its previous inspection back in 2014. The parent view, gathered from 48 responses between September 2024 and September 2025, backs this up strongly: 92% would recommend the school, and every single parent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. On behaviour, 94% agreed or strongly agreed that the school ensures pupils are well behaved, and 96% felt the school has high expectations for their child. The only slight wobble came on how concerns are handled, where 8% strongly disagreed — a small minority, but worth noting.

Aston St Mary's is a Church of England primary for children aged 4 to 11, led by headteacher Julie Winwood. It's full to capacity with 132 pupils, and oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 73 applications for 20 places, a ratio of 3.65 to one. Only 6.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the national average. The school offers a decent range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, art studios, chapel and playing fields, with sports like football, cricket, athletics and gymnastics on offer. Clubs include choir, drama, book club, science club and film club. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a small, high-performing village school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes and a tight-knit community, but getting a place will require a first-preference application and a bit of luck.

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