Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School, Hemel Hempstead
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Hemel Hempstead. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2016. That was 10 years ago, so the rating may not reflect the school today. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 30 schools in Hemel Hempstead with published results, and 1st of 14,452 across England. It was 65% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- 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
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School in detail
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "My name is Mr Beach and it is my great pleasure and privilege to be the Headteacher of Great Gaddesden. We are a happy, inclusive and vibrant village school with close connections to the parish church. As a school with smaller and mixed age classes, we are smaller than many other schools but we have a very big heart."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 100% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 78% in reading and 78% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 4 families put Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 22 named it as one of their preferences, for 7 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School are Potten End CofE Primary School (1.6 miles, Good, 74% reading, 81% maths); Gaddesden Row JMI School (1.7 miles, Good, 43% reading, 71% maths); Galley Hill Primary School and Nursery (2 miles, Good, 61% reading, 63% maths); and Micklem Primary School (2.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 71% maths).
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Potten End CofE Primary SchoolGaddesden Row JMI SchoolGalley Hill Primary School and NurseryMicklem Primary School
What parents say
39 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School (as of April 2026): 82% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 17% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (17%).
Who goes there
16.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Mixed (11%).
In 2026, 14 pupils (17.5%) received SEN support and 1 (1.3%) 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
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 9 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Berkhamsted Rail Station, about 3 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church Meadow (s-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 · 9 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a nurturing school where children settle quickly and develop into confident, curious learners. Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics, and the school excels at supporting children's personal development and wellbeing through its enrichment programmes and strong pastoral care. Staff create a calm, kind environment where every child feels valued and supported.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on pupils' wellbeing and personal development with a wide range of enrichment clubs and activities
- Excellent behaviour and attendance, with calm and orderly environment throughout the school
- Good achievement in reading and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, including for disadvantaged pupils
- Warm, nurturing early years setting where children develop confidence and love of learning
- Effective pastoral support and inclusion for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Handwriting skills need more consistent development across the school so pupils can write fluently and neatly
- Some subjects are not being taught as consistently well as leaders intend, with tasks sometimes not well matched to pupils' learning needs
- New support systems for pupils with special educational needs are still developing and need to be embedded more consistently across the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open, positive culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
yoga, singing, baking, visits to places of worship, change team, wellbeing leaders
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School is a small, friendly school where pupils enjoy learning and develop secure knowledge across most subjects. Leaders have recently strengthened the school with improvements in attendance, behaviour, and support for pupils with additional needs.
At a Glance
16.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
39 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 78% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 78% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 56% to 83% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
25.0
KS2
1
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
From Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
Term dates
Great Gaddesden Church of England 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.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Great Gaddesden Church of England 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Great Gaddesden Church of England 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England 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
65%
Available places
69 pupils
106 places
37 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(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
18.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
80
Total Pupils
39
Boys
41
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
10.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,407
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,438
Per pupil
£623k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
28.6%
Persistent absence
77
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 100% reached the expected standard in reading and 100% did so in maths.
What is Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Great Gaddesden Church of England 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 65% of its 106 places.
How big are the classes at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School has around 80 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 28.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Great Gaddesden Church of England 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.
How many road collisions happen near Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 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 Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School?
Great Gaddesden Church of England Primary School is at Church Meadow, Great Gaddesden, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP1 3BT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)