Templewood Primary School

About Templewood Primary School

Templewood Primary School is clearly a popular choice among local families, and the numbers back that up. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 125 applications for just 28 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 4.46. That means more than four families applied for every available spot. Of those, 40 put Templewood as their first preference, and all 28 first-preference applicants were offered a place. While the school does not publish a parent recommendation percentage, the sheer demand suggests strong word-of-mouth approval. The school is a mixed, state primary for ages 3 to 11, with nursery provision available, and it sits in the Welwyn Hatfield borough of Hertfordshire. Headteacher Katherine Martindill leads a school that is close to capacity, with 233 pupils on roll against a maximum of 236. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 8.5%, which is relatively low, and the school has no religious character.

Academically, Templewood performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hertfordshire local authority average of just 64%. That puts the school in the top 25% nationally for this measure, ranked 3rd out of 34 primary schools in Welwyn Hatfield. Results in individual subjects are strong too: 90% met the expected standard in maths, 87% in reading, and 83% in writing. At the higher standard, 23% achieved the top marks across all three subjects, with 50% hitting that level in maths alone. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2023, rated it Good overall, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2021. The inspection gave personal development an Outstanding rating, with Good marks for behaviour and attitudes, leadership, quality of education, and early years provision.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, art studios, ICT suite, library, sensory room, and a forest school area. Sports on offer include cricket, athletics, cross country, tennis, football and swimming, while clubs range from film club and chess to science club, book club and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, Templewood lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities. The school’s high oversubscription ratio means it is worth applying early and as a first preference. It suits families who value strong academic outcomes in a well-regarded local primary, and who are comfortable with a school that is close to full capacity and in high demand.

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