Classpot

How Wood Primary and Nursery School

St Albans, AL2 2HUPrimaryAges 3–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Mar 2023
KS2 Results
56%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
1.0×
Oversubscribed
31 1st-choice / 30 places
Ranking
#9,057
of 13,686 nationally

About How Wood Primary and Nursery School

How Wood Primary and Nursery School is a state primary in St Albans, Hertfordshire, serving 223 pupils aged 3 to 11. It sits within a competitive local landscape where the top-performing peers include Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harvey Road Primary School, and The Russell School. The school ranks 33rd out of 40 primaries in the St Albans local authority, placing it in the bottom half of the LA table. Its ranking score of 56 places it in the bottom 50 nationally among similar schools. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Cunningham Hill Junior School, 3. 4 kilometres away. How Wood itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in March 2023, a grade it has maintained since its previous inspection in 2012. The school is oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, receiving 81 applications for 30 places, with 28 offers going to first-preference families.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range3 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressSpooners Drive, St Albans, St Albans, AL2 2HU
HeadteacherCYNTHIA ROWE NAOMI PARKINS
Local AuthorityHertfordshire
Number of Pupils223
Free School Meals (FSM)14.0%
School Capacity223 / 220 (101% full)
Nursery ClassesYes

The full report on this school

The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

2 Mar 2023
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good
Early Years Provision
Good

Source: Ofsted, 17 Jul 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

SEND Support

AutismMental HealthSpeech & LanguageLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:55 – 15:15

Breakfast club

07:50-08:40

After-school care

15:20-18:00

Source: howwood.herts.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About How Wood Primary and Nursery School

How Wood Primary and Nursery School has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.