Hartford Junior School

About Hartford Junior School

If you're a parent considering Hartford Junior School, the parent feedback is a good place to start. Of the 18 families who responded to the most recent Parent View survey, 89% said they would recommend the school. That's a strong vote of confidence, and it's backed up by some very positive individual scores: 89% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, and 100% felt their child is safe. On the practical side, 94% agreed the school has high expectations for their child, and 94% said their child does well. The picture isn't entirely rosy, though. On the question of whether concerns are dealt with properly, 17% disagreed and 6% strongly disagreed, which is a notable minority. The school is also oversubscribed in a practical sense: it has 215 pupils against a capacity of 240, so there is some room, but it's not a school that's struggling for numbers. With 31.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, it serves a community with above-average disadvantage.

Academically, Hartford Junior School is a mixed bag. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 50% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That's below the local authority average of 58%, and it places the school 40th out of 55 primary schools in Huntingdonshire. Only 2% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. Digging into the individual subjects, reading was the strongest area: 73% reached the expected standard and 22% hit the higher mark. Maths was a bit weaker at 68% expected, and writing was the lowest at 62% expected. Progress scores aren't available, so it's hard to say how much value the school adds. Ofsted rated the school Good overall in its most recent graded inspection, with Good marks across the board for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership. That's a clear improvement from its previous inspection, when it was rated Requires Improvement.

On the ground, Hartford Junior School offers a decent range of facilities for a primary, including a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, an art studio, a library, and even a forest school area. The sports on offer include athletics, swimming, cricket, tennis, netball, football and gymnastics, and there are a few clubs like science, art and gardening. For families with children who have special educational needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is a state-funded, mixed-gender primary for ages 7 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form. It's a Good school with strong parent satisfaction on happiness and safety, but the academic results are below the local average, so it may suit families who prioritise pastoral care and a broad range of activities over top-tier exam performance.

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