Laurance Haines School, Watford
Laurance Haines School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Watford, part of Inclusive Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 29 schools in Watford with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Laurance Haines School in detail
Laurance Haines School in its own words
In its own words: "I am exceptionally proud to be the Headteacher of Laurance Haines School. Our school population is a reflection of the rich cultural diversity of the community. Our children originate from many different countries, speaking a large number of languages. I believe this makes our school a vibrant, exciting and truly special place to be."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Laurance Haines School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 71% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Laurance Haines School
For September 2026 entry, 64 families put Laurance Haines School as their first choice and 166 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Laurance Haines School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Laurance Haines School are Willow Tree Primary School (0.5 miles); Chater Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Chater Junior School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 78% reading, 75% maths); and St Anthony's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 83% reading, 72% maths).
Laurance Haines School's 2025 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Willow Tree Primary SchoolChater Infant SchoolChater Junior SchoolSt Anthony's Catholic Primary School
The trust
Laurance Haines School is one of 4 schools run by Inclusive Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
76 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Laurance Haines School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 73% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (73%).
Who goes there
15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 61.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (44%), Mixed (13%) and Black (9%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Watford High Street Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brightwell Road (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 637 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. 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, Laurance Haines School issued 18 suspensions, 3.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Laurance Haines School are Westfield Academy (0.4 miles), Watford Grammar School for Girls (0.6 miles), Watford Grammar School for Boys (0.6 miles) and Croxley Danes School (1.1 miles).
Westfield AcademyWatford Grammar School for GirlsWatford Grammar School for BoysCroxley Danes School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Laurance Haines creates a nurturing environment where children feel safe and happy to learn. The school has high expectations for all pupils and provides a rich curriculum with practical, hands-on learning opportunities that help children remember what they've learned. Pupils receive excellent support, particularly those with special educational needs, and benefit from school leadership roles and enriching visits that bring their learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Well-sequenced, ambitious curriculum across all subjects with regular opportunities for pupils to revisit and remember their learning
- Strong start in early years with positive staff engagement and children developing a wide range of vocabulary
- Effective support for pupils with SEND, who learn alongside their peers with carefully adapted curriculum
- Pupils are kind, supportive and help one another learn in a calm school atmosphere
- Strong personal development opportunities including leadership roles and trips connected to curriculum learning
Areas for Improvement
- Some phonics lessons do not maximise opportunities to practise and rehearse sounds, slowing reading progress
- Teachers' explanations do not always precisely meet pupils' needs, reducing engagement and limiting opportunities to embed learning
- Need to ensure all teachers have secure knowledge to consistently implement the curriculum effectively across school
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils understanding they should share any problems or concerns with staff.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school clubs, school council, leadership roles, trips to seaside, Hampton Court Palace visit
Laurance Haines School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. Pupils are happy, feel safe, and learn well in a calm and purposeful environment with a rich and varied curriculum.
At a Glance
15.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
76 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 71% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 74% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.9
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Laurance Haines School
NEW ADMIN EMAIL
2 Sep 2026
Christmas Carol Concert
18 Dec 2023
50th Birthday Celebrations
14 Jul 2023
Laurance Haines Celebrate World Hijab Day
3 Feb 2022
Re-accreditation for the National Nurturing School Award 2021
11 Mar 2021
ADMISSIONS 2021 LATEST INFORMATION
8 Oct 2020
From Laurance Haines School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Laurance Haines School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Laurance Haines School.
- Brightway Education620m away · Not yet graded
- Next Thing Education Camps Ltd. - Holywell Primary School810m away · Not yet graded
- Barracudas Watford930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Laurance Haines School is an academy, 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 Laurance Haines School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Laurance Haines 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
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
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, 1 serious and 14 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Laurance Haines School
Will you get a place at Laurance Haines School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Laurance Haines School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Laurance Haines School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Laurance Haines School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Laurance Haines School for 2017 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
97%
Near capacity
407 pupils
420 places
13 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Watford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Watford
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(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
65
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
463
Total Pupils
225
Boys
238
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
22.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,059
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,416
Per pupil
£2447k
Total funding
£108k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
13.1%
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
Questions parents ask about Laurance Haines School
What are SATs results like at Laurance Haines School?
Of the pupils at Laurance Haines School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Laurance Haines School's Ofsted rating?
Laurance Haines School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Laurance Haines School?
No fixed boundary. When Laurance Haines 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 Laurance Haines School?
Laurance Haines School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Laurance Haines School?
Classes at Laurance Haines School average 27.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Laurance Haines School?
Laurance Haines School has around 463 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Laurance Haines School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Laurance Haines School in 2024/25. 13.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Laurance Haines School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Laurance Haines 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 Laurance Haines School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Laurance Haines School: Brightway Education (620m away, registered, not yet graded), Next Thing Education Camps Ltd. - Holywell Primary School (810m away, registered, not yet graded) and Barracudas Watford (930m away, 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 Laurance Haines School?
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, 1 serious and 14 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Laurance Haines School?
Laurance Haines School is at Vicarage Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0DD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)