Giles Junior School

About Giles Junior School

Giles Junior School’s headline Key Stage 2 results sit slightly below the Hertfordshire local authority average for primary schools. The school achieved a combined reading, writing and maths expected standard score of 54%, compared with the LA average of 64%. That ten-point gap places Giles in the bottom half of schools in Stevenage, where it ranks 11th out of 19 primary schools, and in the bottom 50% nationally. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. Reading and writing both outperform maths: 69% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, and 70% in writing, while maths lagged at 65%. At the higher standard, reading again leads with 21% of pupils achieving it, against 10% in maths. The school’s overall Ofsted rating of Good, confirmed in its most recent graded inspection in February 2023, suggests a solid foundation, even if the headline attainment figures don’t match the strongest performers in the county.

Academically, Giles Junior School shows a mixed profile. The average reading score of 104 and maths average of 102 are both close to the national average of 100, indicating that most pupils are working at a broadly expected level. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it’s not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. In the local authority rankings, Giles sits at 244th out of 401 primary schools, which places it in the middle of the pack across Hertfordshire. The Ofsted inspection gave Good ratings across all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and overall effectiveness. This consistency suggests the school is well-run and stable, even if its exam results don’t push into the top tier. The previous inspection in 2016 also rated the school Good, so there’s a track record of maintaining that standard over time.

For families considering Giles Junior School, the practical offering is strong. The school has a sensory room, library, music rooms, art studios, playing fields and a gymnasium, plus a chapel on site. Sports include football, netball, cricket, athletics, dance, cross country and rounders, and there are clubs for science, book, art, eco and gardening. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech and language issues, visual impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. With 329 pupils against a capacity of 360, the school is not oversubscribed, and 24.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-resourced, inclusive primary with a Good Ofsted rating, where the academic results are solid if not exceptional, and where the focus is on breadth of opportunity rather than top-tier exam performance.

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