Hobbs Hill Wood Primary School

About Hobbs Hill Wood Primary School

Hobbs Hill Wood Primary School is a mixed, state primary in Dacorum, Hertfordshire, and it is clearly a popular choice among local families. With a school capacity of 485 and 454 pupils on roll, it is operating very close to full, and the demand is intense: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 141 applications for just 60 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.35. Only 54 of those 141 applicants listed it as their first preference, and all 54 were offered a place, suggesting that while the school is oversubscribed overall, being a first-choice applicant significantly improves your odds. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 15.8%, which is slightly above the national primary average of around 23% but still indicates a broadly mixed socioeconomic intake. The school has a nursery provision and a non-religious character, and it is led by headteacher Richard Haynes.

Academically, Hobbs Hill Wood performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to a Hertfordshire average of 64%. The school ranks 11th out of 47 primary schools in Dacorum on this metric, placing it in the top quarter locally, and 3,889th nationally out of 13,686 schools. Pupils achieved average scaled scores of 107 in both reading and maths, and 79% reached the expected standard in each of those subjects individually. At the higher standard, 10% achieved it in reading, writing and maths combined, with 43% reaching the higher bar in reading alone. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in June 2023, confirmed that it remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since its last graded inspection in 2014.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an outdoor playground, art studios, music rooms, a forest school, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, rounders, swimming and gymnastics, and there are clubs such as science, film and eco club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for a wide range of conditions including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder and physical disability. Given its strong academic results, high demand for places and good Ofsted rating, Hobbs Hill Wood is a strong option for families in Dacorum seeking a well-regarded state primary. The nearest outstanding-rated school is Brockswood Primary School, 4 km away, which may be worth considering as a backup if oversubscription proves a barrier.

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