North Herts Education Support Centre, Letchworth Garden City
North Herts Education Support Centre is a pru school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Letchworth Garden City. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
North Herts Education Support Centre in detail
What parents say
13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about North Herts Education Support Centre (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
50% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (75%) and Black (25%).
In 2026, 3 pupils (75%) received SEN support and 1 (25%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Letchworth Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highfield School (near), 220 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood North Herts Education Support Centre stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
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 agoThis judgement is from May 2014, 12 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
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school is remarkable at turning around the lives of pupils who have struggled in mainstream education. Staff are exceptionally skilled at helping young people re-engage with learning and achieve GCSEs and vocational qualifications they thought were out of reach. Pupils leave with restored confidence, improved behaviour, and clear pathways to college, employment or successful return to mainstream school.
Key Strengths
- Expertly transforms the lives of excluded and disaffected pupils, helping them thrive and achieve exceptionally well from their starting points
- Ambitious, carefully crafted curriculum with strong subject knowledge teaching that adapts to each pupil's needs
- Highly effective at improving school attendance and getting pupils to sustain participation in learning
- Expert support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, with rapid identification and addressing of additional needs
- Excellent personal development programme including work experience, careers guidance, and mentoring that builds resilience and self-confidence
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Golf, boxing, work experience, visiting local businesses, meeting MP, trips to London and the beach, vocational qualifications in food technology, construction, hair and beauty and sport
North Herts Education Support Centre is a pupil referral unit that serves students aged 5-16 who have been permanently excluded from school or are at risk of exclusion. The school significantly transforms pupils' lives by resetting their school careers and helping them re-engage positively with learning.
At a Glance
50.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with North Herts Education Support Centre
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to North Herts Education Support Centre from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. North Herts Education Support Centre 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Letchworth Garden City
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Letchworth Garden City
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)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
4
Total Pupils
3
Boys
1
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
0.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,002
Mean salary
2026 data
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
North Herts Education Support Centre
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about North Herts Education Support Centre
What is North Herts Education Support Centre's Ofsted rating?
North Herts Education Support Centre's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for North Herts Education Support Centre?
No fixed boundary. When North Herts Education Support Centre is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to North Herts Education Support Centre?
North Herts Education Support Centre has around 4 pupils on roll. 50% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to North Herts Education Support Centre?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming North Herts Education Support Centre on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near North Herts Education Support Centre?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 North Herts Education Support Centre?
North Herts Education Support Centre is at Briar Patch Lane, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, SG6 3LY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)