Cranborne Primary School, Potters Bar
Cranborne Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Potters Bar. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 7 schools in Potters Bar with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Cranborne Primary School in detail
Cranborne Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is my privilege to welcome you to Cranborne School and an honour to serve as the Headteacher. Our school is a place of fun, laughter, learning and a willingness to succeed; to be the very best we can be. We recognise that children are uniquely different - all possessing different skills and abilities."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include guitar, cooking and sewing.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Cranborne Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 97% in reading and 93% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Cranborne Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Cranborne Primary School as their first choice and 170 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Cranborne Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cranborne Primary School are The Wroxham School (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths); Pope Paul Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles); Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School (0.9 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); and Little Heath Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 87% reading, 73% maths).
Cranborne Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
The Wroxham SchoolPope Paul Catholic Primary SchoolLadbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolLittle Heath Primary School
Who goes there
9.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 25.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (50%), Asian (13%) and Mixed (11%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Potters Bar Rail Station, about 550 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mutton Lane (s-bound), 230 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cranborne Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cranborne Primary School are Gracewood Academy (0.7 miles) and Dame Alice Owen's School (0.7 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from January 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
9.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 97% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 95% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.9
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
30.1
KS2
15
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cranborne Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cranborne Primary School.
- Fun Fest Potters BarAt the school · Not yet graded
- Complete Sports Ltd - The Wroxham School930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cranborne Primary School is a foundation 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cranborne Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cranborne 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Cranborne Primary School
Will you get a place at Cranborne Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cranborne Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cranborne Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cranborne 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 Cranborne 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
100%
Full
420 pupils
420 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Potters Bar
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Potters Bar
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
75
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
20.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
448
Total Pupils
230
Boys
218
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,973
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,105
Per pupil
£2321k
Total funding
£58k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
7.9%
Persistent absence
368
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
Cranborne Primary School
Questions parents ask about Cranborne Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cranborne Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cranborne Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is Cranborne Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cranborne Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cranborne Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cranborne 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 Cranborne Primary School?
Cranborne Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Cranborne Primary School?
Classes at Cranborne Primary School average 29.9 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Cranborne Primary School?
Cranborne Primary School has around 448 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cranborne Primary School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Cranborne Primary School in 2024/25. 7.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cranborne Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cranborne 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 Cranborne Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Fun Fest Potters Bar (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Cranborne Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 6 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Cranborne Primary School?
Cranborne Primary School is at Laurel Fields, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 2BA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)