Oakwood Primary School, St Albans
Oakwood Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in St Albans. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 13th-highest of the 32 schools in St Albans with published results, and 2,629th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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
Oakwood Primary School in detail
Oakwood Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "On behalf of the Pupils, Staff and Governors, I would like to welcome you to our vibrant school. We are all very proud of our school and enjoy working hard to do the best for our children within a caring and supportive environment."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, hockey, basketball, dance, guitar, chess, coding, Lego and STEM.
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 2 November 2026 at 1.30pm, an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 10am, an open day on Monday 9 November 2026 and an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 1.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Oakwood Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 98% in reading and 91% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Oakwood Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Oakwood Primary School as their first choice and 133 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Oakwood Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Oakwood Primary School are Fleetville Infant and Nursery School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.6 miles, 87% reading, 87% maths); Skyswood Primary & Nursery School (0.7 miles, 93% reading, 93% maths); and Fleetville Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Oakwood Primary School.
Fleetville Infant and Nursery SchoolSt John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademySkyswood Primary & Nursery SchoolFleetville Junior School
Who goes there
8.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 37 pupils (11.7%) received SEN support and 8 (2.5%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Albans City Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Oakwood Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Oakwood Primary School issued 8 suspensions, 2.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Oakwood Primary School are Beaumont School (0.1 miles), Verulam School (0.7 miles), Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (0.8 miles) and Sandringham School (1 mile).
Beaumont SchoolVerulam SchoolNicholas Breakspear Catholic SchoolSandringham School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are positive about their experiences at this school. They appreciate that leaders listen to their views. Pupils influence decisions through the school council and pupil surveys. This includes contributing to the behaviour policy, improving recycling facilities and selecting lunchtime activities. Adults empower pupils and, in return, there is mutual respect for everyone. Pupils like the many 'golden' rewards available and are clear on behaviour consequences. Pupils behave well, from early years upwards.
Pupils are proud of their learning. Many pupils achieve highly here, especially in reading and mathematics. Pupils know that staff have high expectations of them and also that there is help when needed. They like the trips they go on to broaden their understanding of topics they are studying. However, pupils would benefit from learning in more depth in some wider curriculum areas and in writing.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The new leaders have quickly and accurately identified the school's strengths and areas for improvement. Teachers know what to teach, and when, in each subject. They also have good subject knowledge. In reading and mathematics and grammar, pupils do very well in national assessments by the end of Year 6. However, in a few curriculum areas, there is not enough depth or detail about what pupils need to learn. Links to previous learning are not always explicit. This limits how consistently well and in what depth pupils secure knowledge in a few foundation subjects and in writing. Leaders have a clear plan to move this forward.
Teachers do check pupils' understanding and address any misconceptions. Pupils receive feedback on how to improve their work. In some instances, though, pupils are set work that is not ambitous enough. This means that pupils are not always able to extend their learning further, especially when working independently.
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
8.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 98% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 64% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
26.3
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Oakwood Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Oakwood Primary School.
- Brain Up Abacus (St Albans)990m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Oakwood Primary School 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 Oakwood Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Oakwood Primary 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
0 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 Oakwood Primary School
Will you get a place at Oakwood Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Oakwood Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Oakwood Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Oakwood Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Oakwood Primary School 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
99%
Near capacity
312 pupils
315 places
3 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
37
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
14.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
317
Total Pupils
159
Boys
158
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,077
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,092
Per pupil
£1725k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
8.5%
Persistent absence
283
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 Oakwood Primary School
What are SATs results like at Oakwood Primary School?
Of the pupils at Oakwood Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Oakwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Oakwood Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2014 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Oakwood Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Oakwood Primary 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 Oakwood Primary School?
Oakwood Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Oakwood Primary School?
Classes at Oakwood Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Oakwood Primary School?
Oakwood Primary School has around 317 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Oakwood Primary School?
3.8% of sessions were missed at Oakwood Primary School in 2024/25. 8.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Oakwood Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Oakwood Primary 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 Oakwood Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Oakwood Primary School: Brain Up Abacus (St Albans) (990m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Oakwood Primary School's term dates?
Oakwood Primary School 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 Oakwood Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 0 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 Oakwood Primary School?
Oakwood Primary School is at Oakwood Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 0XA.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)