Longwood School, Bushey

Prep
Other independent school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Liam Donovan
Pupils:65 / 213 capacity
LA:Hertfordshire
Phone:01923253715
Address:Bushey Hall Drive, Bushey, WD23 2QG
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open
Opened:26 July 1994

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:117662
UKPRN:10070240
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Watford
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

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 responses
Would recommend95%
Child is happy95%
Well taught95%
Good progress90%
Feels safe95%
Well behaved95%
Bullying dealt with20%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns65%
Wider development95%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Bushey Rail Station (main entrance)
1.2km · 19 min walk

Bus Stops

The Avenue (NE-bound)
50m · 1 min walk
Aldenham Road (NW-bound)
136m · 2 min walk
Leisure Centre (opp)
293m · 5 min walk
James Close (adj)
396m · 6 min walk
Royal Connaught Park (opp)
423m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

31%

Available places

65 pupils

213 capacity

148 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Bushey

High pressure
New homes approved:680
Projected new pupils:122

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bushey

Admissions Demand - Hertfordshire

Low demand0.89x oversubscription

Places available

15,354

Applications

13,699

Got 1st preference

75.8%

Got preferred school

94.7%

Secondary admissions across Hertfordshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

17 June 2025
17 October 2023
18 June 2019

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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