Leavesden JMI School

About Leavesden JMI School

Parents considering Leavesden JMI School will find a school that is clearly popular locally. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 96 applications for just 41 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 2.34 applicants per place. Of those, 38 families put it as their first preference, and all 38 were offered a spot. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation among local families, though it's worth noting that the school does not publish a parent-view survey score, so there is no formal satisfaction rating to back that up. The school is a state-funded, mixed primary for ages 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. It sits in Watford, within the Hertfordshire local authority, and has no religious character. Headteacher Victoria Lyon leads a school that is close to capacity, with 408 pupils against a maximum of 450.

Academically, Leavesden holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections, including the graded inspection in March 2023. The Ofsted report gave Good marks across all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 61% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is slightly below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64%. The school's average reading score was 107 and maths 103, both above the national benchmark of 100. However, only 2% of pupils reached the higher standard in all three subjects, and the school ranks 14th out of 22 primary schools in Watford on this measure. Nationally, it sits in the bottom half of schools, at the 54th percentile.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an ICT suite, sports hall, library, dining hall and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, dance, football, cross country, cricket and netball, while after-school clubs include drama, coding, film club, choir and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, Leavesden lists a broad set of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary school is Holy Rood Catholic Primary School, 1.7 km away. Given its oversubscription and Good rating, Leavesden is a solid, well-regarded local option, particularly suited to families who value a broad range of clubs and SEND support within a mainstream setting.

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