Hatfield Community Free School, Hatfield
Hatfield Community Free School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Hatfield. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 11 schools in Hatfield with published results, and 7,071st of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 26 Oct 2026
Hatfield Community Free School in detail
Hatfield Community Free School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a school that has been built to serve the needs of extra places in the Primary phase and opened in September 2012. In September 2018, the school finally reached its full capacity of 420 pupils."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 9 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 13 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Hatfield Community Free School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 72% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Hatfield Community Free School
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Hatfield Community Free School as their first choice and 120 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 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 Hatfield Community Free School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hatfield Community Free School are St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 80% reading, 67% maths); Oak View Primary and Nursery School (0.3 miles, Good, 78% reading, 72% maths); Countess Anne Church of England School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 68% reading, 96% maths); and De Havilland Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 76% reading, 69% maths).
Hatfield Community Free School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Philip Howard Catholic Primary SchoolOak View Primary and Nursery SchoolCountess Anne Church of England SchoolDe Havilland Primary School
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hatfield Community Free School (as of September 2025): 71% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).
Who goes there
54.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (33%), Asian (28%) and Black (11%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hatfield (Herts) Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Briars Lane (n-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 407 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hatfield Community Free School issued 11 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 Hatfield Community Free School are Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School (0.1 miles) and Onslow St Audrey's School (0.4 miles).
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 May 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating a safe, welcoming environment where all pupils feel valued and included. Staff are skilled at teaching reading using phonics, helping almost all children become confident readers. The school provides excellent emotional support to pupils and has very strong relationships between staff and pupils, which creates a positive place to learn.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading using phonics from Reception - most pupils become fluent and enthusiastic readers
- Excellent support for pupils' social and emotional well-being
- Very strong relationships between staff and pupils creating a harmonious learning environment
- Ambitious curriculum with creative projects that bring together different subjects
- Effective systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum does not always set out precisely what pupils should learn and when, leading to gaps in understanding
- Teachers' checking of what pupils have learned is sometimes not effective enough
- Teaching is not consistently adapted to meet individual needs of all pupils, particularly those with SEND or disadvantages
- Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could due to inconsistent implementation
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils feel safe and know who to talk to with concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Cooking, choir, football, outdoor activity centres, music competitions
Hatfield Community Free School is a welcoming and inclusive primary school where pupils thrive and feel safe. The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum with achievement in line with national outcomes.
At a Glance
24.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 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 improved from 72% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
21.1
Infant (KS1)
29.6
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hatfield Community Free School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hatfield Community Free School.
- Junior Adventures Group @ Hatfield AL10At the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hatfield Community Free School is a free 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 Hatfield Community Free School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hatfield Community Free 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
- 28
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 23 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Hatfield Community Free School
Will you get a place at Hatfield Community Free School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hatfield Community Free School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hatfield Community Free School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hatfield Community Free School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hatfield Community Free 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
99%
Near capacity
418 pupils
420 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hatfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hatfield
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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
62
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
406
Total Pupils
215
Boys
191
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,094
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,298
Per pupil
£2467k
Total funding
£144k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
12.9%
Persistent absence
373
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
Hatfield Community Free School
Questions parents ask about Hatfield Community Free School
What are SATs results like at Hatfield Community Free School?
Of the pupils at Hatfield Community Free School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Hatfield Community Free School's Ofsted rating?
Hatfield Community Free School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hatfield Community Free School?
No fixed boundary. When Hatfield Community Free 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 Hatfield Community Free School?
Hatfield Community Free School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Hatfield Community Free School?
Classes at Hatfield Community Free School average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hatfield Community Free School?
Hatfield Community Free School has around 406 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hatfield Community Free School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Hatfield Community Free School in 2024/25. 12.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hatfield Community Free School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Hatfield Community Free 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 Hatfield Community Free School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Junior Adventures Group @ Hatfield AL10 (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Hatfield Community Free School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 23 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 6 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Hatfield Community Free School?
Hatfield Community Free School is at Briars Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 8ES.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)