Barley (VA) Church of England First School, Royston
Barley (VA) Church of England First School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 9 in Royston. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. It was 37% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Capacity
- 37% full
- 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
Barley (VA) Church of England First School in detail
Getting a place at Barley (VA) Church of England First School
Across Hertfordshire, 89% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
Admissions history and your chances at Barley (VA) Church of England First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Barley (VA) Church of England First School are Barkway VA Church of England First School (2.1 miles, Good); Reed First School (2.7 miles, Good); Studlands Rise First School (2.7 miles, Good); and Icknield Walk First School (2.8 miles, Outstanding).
Barkway VA Church of England First SchoolReed First SchoolStudlands Rise First SchoolIcknield Walk First School
Who goes there
4% 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%) and Mixed (8%).
In 2026, 4 pupils (16%) received SEN support and 2 (8%) 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.
Staffing
Barley (VA) Church of England First School had 6 teachers in 2026, one for every 5 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Royston Rail Station, about 3.4 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Margaret of Antioch Church (opposite), 40 metres away.
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
Barley (VA) Church of England First 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
32.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
8.3
Avg class size
8.0
Infant (KS1)
8.5
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Barley (VA) Church of England First School
Term dates
Barley (VA) Church of England First 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.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Barley (VA) Church of England First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Barley (VA) Church of England First 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Barley (VA) Church of England First School
Will you get a place at Barley (VA) Church of England First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Barley (VA) Church of England First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Barley (VA) Church of England First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Barley (VA) Church of England First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Barley (VA) Church of England First 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
37%
Available places
28 pupils
75 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Royston
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Royston
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.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
4
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
24.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
25
Total Pupils
9
Boys
16
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
4.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,593
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£11,310
Per pupil
£359k
Total funding
£6k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.3%
Overall absence
24.1%
Persistent absence
29
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Barley (VA) Church of England First School
What is Barley (VA) Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?
Barley (VA) Church of England First School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023.
What is the catchment area for Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
No fixed boundary. When Barley (VA) Church of England First 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 Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Barley (VA) Church of England First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 37% of its 75 places.
How big are the classes at Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Classes at Barley (VA) Church of England First School average 8.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Barley (VA) Church of England First School has around 25 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
6.3% of sessions were missed at Barley (VA) Church of England First School in 2024/25. 24.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Barley (VA) Church of England First 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.
How many road collisions happen near Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Barley (VA) Church of England First School?
Barley (VA) Church of England First School is at Church End, Barley, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8JW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)