Markyate Village School and Nursery, St Albans
Markyate Village School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in St Albans. 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. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 23rd-highest of the 32 schools in St Albans with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 86% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2010)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Markyate Village School and Nursery in detail
Markyate Village School and Nursery in its own words
In its own words: "We have three key aims that underpin our approaches to teaching and learning in school. These aims also reflect the school's focus on the personal, social and emotional development of our children which are embedded within the school environment and the every-day workings of the school. The three aims are: 1."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, running, choir, Lego, STEM and eco club.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Markyate Village School and Nursery 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 80% in reading and 70% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Markyate Village School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Markyate Village School and Nursery as their first choice and 50 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Markyate Village School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Markyate Village School and Nursery are Kensworth Church of England Academy (1.4 miles, Good, 71% reading, 57% maths); Slip End Village School (1.7 miles, Good, 100% reading, 83% maths); Caddington Village School (2 miles, Good, 76% reading, 81% maths); and Flamstead Village School (2 miles, Good, 88% reading, 75% maths).
Markyate Village School and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Kensworth Church of England AcademySlip End Village SchoolCaddington Village SchoolFlamstead Village School
What parents say
85 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Markyate Village School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Who goes there
11.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (8%).
In 2026, 27 pupils (12.8%) received SEN support and 5 (2.4%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Luton Rail Station, about 3.8 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Village Hall (near), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 12 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Markyate Village School and Nursery issued 3 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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); 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
This is a caring school where children thrive and feel safe. The school excels at supporting all learners, especially those with additional needs, to access an ambitious curriculum and achieve well. Pupils develop wonderful leadership skills and have excellent access to sports, music, the arts and enriching experiences like residential trips.
Key Strengths
- Effective early reading teaching with strong phonics provision and systematic progress checks
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, with accurate identification of needs and successful curriculum access
- Positive relationships and respectful behaviour throughout the school, with pupils taking on meaningful leadership roles
- Well-designed curriculum with clear identification of key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to learn
- Strong personal development programme preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain
Areas for Improvement
- Writing expectations are not consistent across the curriculum, meaning some pupils have developed errors and lack fluency and accuracy
- Teaching does not always make the intended learning clear enough, so pupils sometimes don't secure the core knowledge as well as they could
- Some teaching approaches don't effectively connect to the school's curriculum design, affecting how well pupils remember key learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating a positive culture around safety where pupils know which adults they can speak to if worried.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports, music, the arts, chess, residential trips, prefect roles, sports captains, active travel ambassadors, breakfast club
Markyate Village School and Nursery is a friendly, welcoming primary school where pupils are proud to attend and achieve well. The school sets ambitious expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs, and provides strong support across early years and the wider curriculum.
At a Glance
11.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
85 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 80% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 70% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
26.0
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Markyate Village School and Nursery
From Markyate Village School and Nursery's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Markyate Village School and Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Markyate Village School and Nursery.
- Markyate Headquarters After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Markyate Headquarters - After School & Holiday ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Markyate Village 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Markyate Village School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Markyate Village 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
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Markyate Village School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Markyate Village School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Markyate Village School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Markyate Village 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 Markyate Village 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
86%
Available places
194 pupils
225 places
31 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - St Albans
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for St Albans
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
27
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
211
Total Pupils
99
Boys
112
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
19.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,059
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,593
Per pupil
£1185k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
11.2%
Persistent absence
169
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Markyate Village School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at Markyate Village School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Markyate Village School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Markyate Village 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Markyate Village 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Markyate Village School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 225 places.
How big are the classes at Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Classes at Markyate Village School and Nursery average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Markyate Village School and Nursery has around 211 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Markyate Village School and Nursery?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Markyate Village School and Nursery in 2024/25. 11.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Markyate Village 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: Markyate Headquarters After School Club (registered, not yet graded) and Markyate Headquarters - After School & Holiday Club (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Markyate Village School and Nursery's term dates?
Markyate Village 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 12 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Markyate Village School and Nursery?
Markyate Village School and Nursery is at Cavendish Road, Markyate, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 8PT.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)