Dewhurst St Mary CofE Primary School

About Dewhurst St Mary CofE Primary School

Dewhurst St Mary CofE Primary School is a state primary in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, serving 207 pupils aged 4 to 11. Within the local authority, it ranks 18th out of 26 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate peers. The top-performing schools in the same LA include Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Harvey Road Primary School, both with perfect ranking scores, and The Russell School at 97. Dewhurst’s own ranking score of 57 reflects a school that is solidly mid-table locally. It is a Church of England school, led by headteacher Natalie Ranson, and operates at near full capacity with 210 places. Oversubscription is high: for the 2025/26 intake, 72 families applied for 27 places, with 18 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.67. This suggests strong local demand, even though the school does not rank among the LA’s top tier.

Academically, Dewhurst St Mary’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. This marks a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2013, when it was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 57% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, below the Hertfordshire LA average of 64%. However, reading was a relative strength: 90% of pupils met the expected standard and 27% achieved a higher score. Maths saw 60% at expected and 17% at the higher level, while writing lagged behind at 63% expected and just 3% higher. Average scores were 106 in reading and 103 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the 63rd percentile, and within the East of England region it sits in the 58th percentile, placing it in the bottom half of schools nationally.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, ICT suite, chapel and dining hall, with sports such as swimming, cricket, athletics, dance and cross country. Clubs include drama, book club, eco club and film club. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Longlands Primary School and Nursery, 2.5 km away. Dewhurst St Mary is best suited to families seeking a Church of England primary in Broxbourne that is popular locally and has improved its Ofsted rating, though its KS2 outcomes sit below the LA average. Parents should be prepared for competitive admissions given the high oversubscription.

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