South Hill Primary School

About South Hill Primary School

South Hill Primary School sits within Hertfordshire’s Dacorum borough, a local authority with 401 primary schools, 45 of which hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 25th out of 47 primaries in Dacorum on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate local area. Its top-performing peers nearby include Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Harvey Road Primary School, both scoring a perfect 100 on the same metric, and The Russell School with a score of 97. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Brockswood Primary School, 4.4 kilometres away. For families weighing up options within Dacorum, South Hill sits in a competitive landscape where several neighbouring primaries post stronger headline results, though its own story is more nuanced than a single rank suggests.

Academically, South Hill’s most recent key stage 2 results from 2023/24 show 59% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is five percentage points below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64%. The school’s strongest individual subject is writing, where 76% met expectations, followed by maths at 71% and reading at 69. Higher-standard attainment is more modest: 7% achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects, with 27% hitting it in reading, 25% in maths, and 10% in writing. Average scaled scores sit at 105 for reading and 103 for maths. Ofsted’s most recent graded inspection in 2018 rated the school Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and early years provision. That was a notable improvement from its previous inspection in 2016, when it was judged Requires Improvement. A subsequent ungraded inspection in July 2024 confirmed the school remains Good.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 184 applications for 58 places and 54 offers going to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.17. Facilities include a sensory room, music rooms, an ICT suite, art studios, an outdoor playground, a sports hall and a chapel. Sports on offer are gymnastics, tennis, athletics, dance and netball, while clubs range from science and drama to gardening, chess and film club. South Hill provides for a wide range of special educational needs, including specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 24.9% of its 417 pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average disadvantage. It will suit families who value a Good-rated local primary with strong SEND support and a broad extracurricular offer, even if its academic outcomes sit slightly below the LA average.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About South Hill Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents