Hillshott Infant School and Nursery, Letchworth
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Letchworth. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2010. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025, at 106% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Good (2010)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
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
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery in detail
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery in its own words
Coming up: an admissions event on Monday 2 November 2026, an open day on Monday 9 November 2026, an open day on Monday 16 November 2026 at 3.30pm and an open day on Monday 23 November 2026 at 3.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 53 families put Hillshott Infant School and Nursery as their first choice and 157 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hillshott Infant School and Nursery are Pixmore Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 52% maths); Garden City Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 78% reading, 65% maths); Wilbury Junior School (0.9 miles, Good, 76% reading, 71% maths); and Icknield Infant and Nursery School (1 mile, Requires improvement).
Pixmore Junior SchoolGarden City AcademyWilbury Junior SchoolIcknield Infant and Nursery School
What parents say
49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hillshott Infant School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 89% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (89%).
Who goes there
8.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (71%) and Mixed (13%).
In 2026, 42 pupils (20.8%) received SEN support and 6 (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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Letchworth Garden City Rail Station, about 690 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Phoenix Park (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 217 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, Hillshott Infant School and Nursery issued 9 suspensions, 4.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hillshott Infant School and Nursery are The Highfield School (1.2 miles), Fearnhill School (1.2 miles) and The Knights Templar School (1.4 miles).
The Highfield SchoolFearnhill SchoolThe Knights Templar School
Sources: 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
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 November 2010, 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
Hillshott creates a warm, welcoming environment where children develop confidence and love of learning from the start. The school excels at early reading and has an outstanding nursery and reception provision. Teachers have high expectations and support all pupils, including those with special needs, to achieve well.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with strong focus on vocabulary, language skills and love of reading
- Effective teaching of early reading with skilled support for pupils who need extra help
- Strong behaviour and attitudes, with clear routines and high expectations from the start
- Supportive school culture where pupils feel safe and trusted
- Good curriculum design that provides first-hand experiences and plenty of practice for most subjects
Areas for Improvement
- Some older pupils learning to write need more opportunities to practise phonics in their written work, with tasks better matched to their level
- Teaching in some foundation subjects is not consistently effective and lacks sufficient checks on how well the curriculum is being delivered
- A few pupils do not get appropriately adapted tasks, which slows their progress
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff listening to pupils' concerns and helping them feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs and festivals, school council, Hillshott Café, Friday dance party, local litter picking
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery is a good school where pupils come happily and feel safe and included. The school has an outstanding early years provision and maintains high expectations for behaviour and learning throughout.
At a Glance
19.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hillshott Infant School and Nursery.
- art-K Letchworth Garden City530m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery 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 Hillshott Infant School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hillshott Infant School and Nursery 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
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 13 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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 Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hillshott Infant School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hillshott Infant School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hillshott Infant School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery 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
106%
Over capacity
180 pupils
170 places
10 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Letchworth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Letchworth
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(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
23.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
202
Total Pupils
105
Boys
97
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,787
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,902
Per pupil
£1200k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.6%
Overall absence
20.5%
Persistent absence
122
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
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Hillshott Infant School and Nursery
What is Hillshott Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2010, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Hillshott Infant School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery was full in 2025, at 106% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Classes at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery average 28.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery has around 202 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
6.6% of sessions were missed at Hillshott Infant School and Nursery in 2024/25. 20.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Hillshott Infant School and Nursery 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 Hillshott Infant School and Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hillshott Infant School and Nursery: art-K Letchworth Garden City (530m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Hillshott Infant School and Nursery's term dates?
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery 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 Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 13 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 Hillshott Infant School and Nursery?
Hillshott Infant School and Nursery is at Ridge Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire, SG6 1QE.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)