Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Stevenage
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Stevenage. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. It was 36% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in detail
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in its own words
The school runs after-school care, from £5 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 3 families put Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as their first choice and 12 named it as one of their preferences, for 3 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School are Walkern Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 79% reading, 86% maths); Benington Church of England Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 82% reading, 88% maths); Martins Wood Primary School (3.2 miles, 78% reading, 85% maths); and Round Diamond Primary School (3.2 miles, 88% reading, 88% maths).
Walkern Primary SchoolBenington Church of England Primary SchoolMartins Wood Primary SchoolRound Diamond Primary School
Who goes there
39.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (80%), Black (9%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 16 pupils (34.8%) received SEN support and 6 (13%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 8 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
39.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
11.3
Avg class size
5.0
Infant (KS1)
14.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Before and after school care
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Hertfordshire
Term dates
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Will you get a place at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
36%
Available places
38 pupils
105 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stevenage
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stevenage
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
47.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
46
Total Pupils
21
Boys
25
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
9.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,972
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,786
Per pupil
£469k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.4%
Overall absence
36.4%
Persistent absence
44
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
What is Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022.
What is the catchment area for Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 36% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Classes at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School average 11.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has around 46 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
11.4% of sessions were missed at Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in 2024/25. 36.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at School Lane, Ardeley, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7AJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)