Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. The most recent graded inspection, in November 2021, awarded Good marks across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This consistency is notable given that the previous inspection in 2011 rated leadership and management as Requires Improvement, while overall effectiveness was already Good. For a school of just 147 pupils, the most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 performance. The local authority average for primary schools in Hertfordshire sits at 64, meaning a typical school sees 64% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Park Street’s own figure is not provided in the data, but its Good Ofsted rating across all areas suggests solid foundations, particularly given the school’s small size and the challenges that can bring for cohort-level results.

The school’s academic story is one of steady, unflashy competence rather than headline-grabbing scores. With no published Progress 8 or SATs attainment data in the available information, the Ofsted breakdown becomes the key indicator. The 2021 inspection found that pupils achieve well across the curriculum, with early years provision also rated Good. The school’s religious character as a Church of England voluntary aided school likely shapes its ethos, though the data does not expand on this. What is clear is that the school serves a relatively disadvantaged intake: 22.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, above the national average for primary schools. Despite this, Ofsted judged behaviour and attitudes as Good, noting that pupils feel safe and that bullying is rare. The school’s small size means each child is well known to staff, which can be a particular strength for academic support and pastoral care.

Practical considerations are significant for families considering Park Street. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 48 applications for just 14 places, with 13 of those going to first-preference families. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 3.43, meaning competition is fierce. Facilities include a sensory room, chapel, sports hall, library, ICT suite, and outdoor playground, plus playing fields. The school offers a range of clubs from science and coding to choir and drama, and sports include cricket, football, netball, cross country, and swimming. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties, social and emotional needs, speech and language, and autistic spectrum disorder. With nursery provision on site, it suits families looking for continuity from age 3 to 11. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Cunningham Hill Junior School, 3.3 km away, so Park Street’s Good rating and strong local reputation make it a realistic and popular choice for St Albans families.

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