Highover Primary School, Hitchin
Highover Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Hitchin. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 22 schools in Hitchin with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Highover Primary School in detail
Highover Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include yoga, art and sewing.
The school runs after-school care.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Highover Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 95% in reading and 88% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Highover Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 57 families put Highover Primary School as their first choice and 145 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Highover Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Highover Primary School are Purwell Primary School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 73% reading, 70% maths); St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 90% maths); William Ransom Primary School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, 87% reading, 85% maths); and Mary Exton Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 80% reading, 67% maths).
Highover Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Purwell Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, HitchinWilliam Ransom Primary SchoolMary Exton Primary School
What parents say
116 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Highover Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 57% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (57%).
Who goes there
5.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hitchin Rail Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Walsworth Cross Roads (adjacent), 180 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highover Primary School issued 12 suspensions, 2.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Highover Primary School are The Highfield School (0.9 miles), Hitchin Girls' School (1 mile), Hitchin Boys' School (1.1 miles) and The Priory School (1.2 miles).
The Highfield SchoolHitchin Girls' SchoolHitchin Boys' SchoolThe Priory School
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); 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2011, 15 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 January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at developing independent, resilient learners through excellent teaching and a carefully designed curriculum. Staff build strong relationships with every child, understand them as individuals, and maintain consistently high expectations. Pupils leave with exceptional reading skills, deep subject knowledge, and the confidence to tackle challenging tasks - all while enjoying school and developing positive attitudes to learning.
Key Strengths
- Expert teaching with strong subject knowledge ensures pupils develop knowledge exceptionally well and can explain their learning thoroughly - verbally and in writing
- Highly effective phonics programme and prioritization of reading means pupils become confident, fluent readers who achieve exceptionally well
- Excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, with calm and orderly environment where pupils' learning is rarely disrupted
- Well-structured curriculum that develops pupils' independence and resilience from their earliest days at school
- Outstanding support for pupils with SEND, who work alongside classmates and achieve highly with skilled, tailored teaching
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Highover Primary School is a cheerful and welcoming school where pupils embrace educational opportunities thanks to staff enthusiasm and strong relationships. The school has been rated Outstanding across all key areas including quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership, and early years provision.
At a Glance
5.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
116 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 95% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 88% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 70% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
15
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Highover Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Highover Primary School.
- Buddies Wraparound CareAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Highover 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highover Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highover 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
- 20
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 17 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Highover Primary School
Will you get a place at Highover Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Highover Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Highover Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Highover 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 Highover 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
99%
Near capacity
414 pupils
420 places
6 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hitchin
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hitchin
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
69
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
433
Total Pupils
208
Boys
225
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,779
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,095
Per pupil
£2241k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.2%
Overall absence
3.9%
Persistent absence
357
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
Highover Primary School
Questions parents ask about Highover Primary School
What are SATs results like at Highover Primary School?
Of the pupils at Highover Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Highover Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Highover Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Highover Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Highover 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 Highover Primary School?
Highover Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Highover Primary School?
Classes at Highover Primary School average 28.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Highover Primary School?
Highover Primary School has around 433 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Highover Primary School?
3.2% of sessions were missed at Highover Primary School in 2024/25. 3.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highover Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Highover 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 Highover Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Buddies Wraparound Care (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Highover Primary School's term dates?
Highover 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 Highover Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 2 serious and 17 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Highover Primary School?
Highover Primary School is at Cambridge Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG4 0JP.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)