Longwood School, Bushey
Longwood School is an independent school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bushey. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Longwood School in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to Longwood School are The Purcell School (0.5 miles), Gurukula - The Hare Krishna Primary School (1 mile), St Margaret's School (1.2 miles) and Immanuel College (2 miles).
The Purcell SchoolGurukula - The Hare Krishna Primary SchoolSt Margaret's SchoolImmanuel College
What parents say
20 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Longwood School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 5 pupils (7.7%) received SEN support and 1 (1.5%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Watford High Street Rail Station, about 1170 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Avenue (ne-bound), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Longwood School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 388 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.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Longwood School has made impressive improvements under new leadership. Your child will benefit from excellent phonics teaching, a genuine love of reading, and a warm community where behaviour is excellent and friendships thrive. The school creates a calm learning environment where staff have high expectations and pupils enjoy working hard across a well-planned curriculum.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics teaching and love of reading throughout the school - pupils receive daily phonics lessons and are matched to books at their level
- Excellent behaviour, attitudes and relationships - pupils are respectful, show mature social skills and work well together in a calm environment
- Well-designed early years provision that develops independence, problem-solving and communication skills to prepare children for Year 1
- Strong teaching in most subjects with staff who explain concepts clearly and have good subject knowledge
- Comprehensive personal development programme covering different religions, disabilities and family structures in age-appropriate ways
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent teaching in some subjects - staff lack proper support and guidance to deliver certain curriculums as intended
- Support for pupils with special needs is not targeted enough - staff do not check understanding carefully enough or match support to individual pupil needs
- Assessment processes need to be more specific to accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and provide better targeted help
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and leaders have created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Various clubs, interesting trips
Longwood School is a good independent school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bushey, Hertfordshire. Since new leadership took over, the school has made significant improvements to its curriculum and teaching quality.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
20 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Longwood School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 3 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
31%
Available places
65 pupils
213 places
148 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bushey
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bushey
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
15,222
Applications
13,456
Got 1st preference
77.5%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
5
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
9.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
65
Total Pupils
32
Boys
33
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Questions parents ask about Longwood School
What is Longwood School's Ofsted rating?
Longwood School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2025.
Does Longwood School meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2025, Longwood School met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Longwood School?
Longwood School has around 65 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Longwood School?
Longwood School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Longwood School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 15 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 3 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 Longwood School?
Longwood School is at Bushey Hall Drive, Bushey, Hertfordshire, WD23 2QG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)