Prae Wood Primary School

About Prae Wood Primary School

Prae Wood Primary School sits within Hertfordshire’s competitive primary landscape, ranking 22nd out of 40 schools in the St Albans local authority area. That places it in the top 25% of primaries nationally, with a ranking score of 73 based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Among its top-performing local peers are Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Harvey Road Primary School, both of which achieved perfect ranking scores of 100, alongside The Russell School with a score of 97. The school is a state-funded, mixed primary for children aged 3 to 11, with no religious character. It is led by headteacher Jenny Sheppard and currently has 448 pupils on roll, just shy of its full capacity of 459. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is notably low at 3.2%, well below the national average, reflecting the relatively affluent catchment area in St Albans.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, Prae Wood retained its overall Good rating, with significant improvements noted since the previous graded inspection in 2019. Leadership and management were judged Outstanding, as was early years provision, which received the top grade. The school’s 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results show 73% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, comfortably above the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64%. Reading scores were particularly strong, with 90% of pupils meeting the expected standard and 39% reaching the higher standard, while maths saw 86% at expected and 22% at higher. Average scaled scores were 108 in reading and 106 in maths. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 98% of the 214 respondents would recommend the school, with 84% strongly agreeing that their child is happy there, and 88% strongly agreeing that their child feels safe.

The school offers a range of facilities including art studios, an ICT suite, a gymnasium, a forest school and a chapel. Sports provision includes dance, rounders, athletics, tennis, cross country and netball, while clubs cover coding, gardening, chess and art club. Prae Wood has a nursery provision for younger children and supports a broad spectrum of SEND needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The school was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 133 applications for 60 places and 65 first-preference applications, resulting in an oversubscription ratio of 2.22. This is a school that suits families seeking strong academic outcomes in a well-regarded local authority, with high parental satisfaction and a clear focus on early years and leadership quality.

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