Aycliffe Drive Primary School, Hemel Hempstead
Aycliffe Drive Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Hemel Hempstead. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 21st-highest of the 30 schools in Hemel Hempstead with published results, and 11,173rd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Aycliffe Drive Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils at Aycliffe Drive Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Aycliffe Drive Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 42 families put Aycliffe Drive Primary School as their first choice and 78 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Aycliffe Drive Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Aycliffe Drive Primary School are Hammond Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 80% maths); Maple Grove Primary School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 50% reading, 57% maths); Yewtree Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 52% reading, 31% maths); and Jupiter Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 74% maths).
Aycliffe Drive Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Hammond AcademyMaple Grove Primary SchoolYewtree Primary SchoolJupiter Primary School
What parents say
52 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Aycliffe Drive Primary School (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 79% say their child is happy there and 41% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (79%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (41%).
Who goes there
33.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (53%), Black (11%) and Mixed (8%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (13.5%) received SEN support and 10 (3.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hemel Hempstead Rail Station, about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Henry Wells Square (near), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 243 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Aycliffe Drive Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils feel welcome and respected at Aycliffe Drive Primary School. From the moment children join the school in Nursery or Reception, routines are in place to help children quickly settle and feel comfortable and safe. Pupils respond maturely to adults' high expectations for conduct. This results in pupils becoming valued and active members of the wider school family.
Pupils are recognised for showing important qualities such as kindness and helping others. They are proud of the leadership roles they take on that make a difference to their school community. However, the quality of lessons pupils receive does vary, and this limits their achievement in some areas of the curriculum. This can disproportionately impact learners who have gaps in their prior knowledge, including some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has started work to improve the ambition and clarity of its curriculum. However, this work is not finished, and the curriculums in some subjects are not consistent in quality. Where subjects are more developed, the school has thought carefully about the specific order in which knowledge and skills should be taught. In these subjects, teachers select helpful tasks and use resources to help pupils remember more. Where this is less consistent, lesson activities are not always purposeful and teachers' expectations of what pupils will achieve are less clear. As a result, pupils' knowledge in some subjects is less secure.
The school prioritises the effective teaching of early reading. Recent changes to the phonics curriculum are already supporting a higher number of pupils to progress well. There is rapid support for pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Pupils access a range of quality books to help them read fluently. These are accurately matched to the sounds pupils know to maximise practice at the right level. The coherent curriculum in the early years is leading to effective learning. Children receive the support they need according to their stage of development. This helps them to build independence quickly as they choose and engage with meaningful tasks.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
23.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
52 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 74% to 65% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 74% to 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 57% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.5
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
28.2
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Aycliffe Drive Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Aycliffe Drive Primary School.
- Complete Sports Ltd - Hammond Academy410m away · Not yet graded
- Good Shepherd After School Club at Yewtree Primary School760m away · Not yet graded
- Kidz Zone Club - Jupiter Primary School820m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Aycliffe Drive Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Aycliffe Drive Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Aycliffe Drive 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)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School
Will you get a place at Aycliffe Drive Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Aycliffe Drive Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Aycliffe Drive Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Aycliffe Drive 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 Aycliffe Drive 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
98%
Near capacity
309 pupils
315 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hemel Hempstead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hemel Hempstead
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(8)
Ungraded inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
16.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
327
Total Pupils
162
Boys
165
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
17.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,559
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,637
Per pupil
£1933k
Total funding
£109k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
21.0%
Persistent absence
281
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Aycliffe Drive Primary School
Questions parents ask about Aycliffe Drive Primary School
What are SATs results like at Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Of the pupils at Aycliffe Drive Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is Aycliffe Drive Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Aycliffe Drive Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Aycliffe Drive 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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Aycliffe Drive Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Classes at Aycliffe Drive Primary School average 26.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Aycliffe Drive Primary School has around 327 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Aycliffe Drive Primary School in 2024/25. 21% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Aycliffe Drive 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 Aycliffe Drive Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Aycliffe Drive Primary School: Complete Sports Ltd - Hammond Academy (410m away, registered, not yet graded), Good Shepherd After School Club at Yewtree Primary School (760m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kidz Zone Club - Jupiter Primary School (820m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Aycliffe Drive Primary School's term dates?
Aycliffe Drive Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Aycliffe Drive Primary School?
Aycliffe Drive Primary School is at Aycliffe Drive, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 6LJ.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)