Priors Wood Primary School, Ware

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~496m)Possible (~709m)Unlikely (~922m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Alan Bishop
Pupils:231 / 231 capacity
LA:Hertfordshire
Phone:01920464135
Address:Cozens Road, Ware, SG12 7HZ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 6 January 2026View full report
URN:117271
UKPRN:10079558
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Hertford and Stortford
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Priors Wood is a warm, welcoming school where your child will feel safe and cared for. The school provides an ambitious curriculum with excellent personal development teaching, ensuring children understand important life skills and develop respect for different cultures and beliefs. Beyond lessons, there's a rich range of clubs and trips designed to broaden every child's horizons and maximize their chances in life.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent personal, social and health education with strong understanding of equality, diversity and British values
  • Wide range of enrichment activities and clubs accessible to all pupils, including those with additional needs
  • Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils creating a strong sense of belonging
  • Effective early years curriculum with strong focus on language development
  • Strong safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe and supported

Areas for Improvement

  • Phonics screening results below national average in Year 1
  • Writing quality variable across the school with some pupils not developing essential phonics and writing skills
  • Some pupils' attainment in Year 6 reading and writing below average, particularly disadvantaged pupils
  • Learning targets for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils lack precision
  • Teacher adaptations of tasks occasionally not well matched to pupils' needs

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Art club, sports clubs, school council, parliament day, bus and train trips to leisure parks, temple visits for religious education, play leader roles, assembly monitor positions

Priors Wood Primary School is a welcoming school with strong personal development and safeguarding, where pupils feel safe and benefit from rich enrichment opportunities. However, achievement in reading and writing needs improvement, particularly in phonics screening and for disadvantaged pupils.

At a Glance

17.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-6ppMathsWriting-7pp

Reading has declined from 82% to 76%. Maths has remained stable at around 76%. Writing has declined from 71% to 64%.

Class Sizes

27.5

Avg class size

29.7

Infant (KS1)

26.8

KS2

8

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Parnel Road (nr)
317m · 5 min walk
The Jolly Bargeman PH (o/s)
393m · 6 min walk
Fanhams Hall (opp)
477m · 8 min walk
Selwyn Court (adj)
520m · 8 min walk
Fanhams Road (E-bound)
545m · 9 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

100%

Over capacity

231 pupils

231 capacity

0 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Ware

Low pressure
New homes approved:907
Projected new pupils:227

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Ware

Admissions Demand - Hertfordshire

Low demand0.86x oversubscription

Places available

14,951

Applications

12,834

Got 1st preference

88.0%

Got preferred school

98.2%

Primary admissions across Hertfordshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(9)

6 January 2026
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
15 June 2021
19 April 2016
Leadership & ManagementGood

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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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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.50002%

Overall absence

14.11765%

Persistent absence

170

Enrolments

Authorised4.409%
Unauthorised1.09102%
Persistent (10%+)14.11765%
Severe (50%+)1.17647%

Absence trend

4.72658%
18/19
3.93238%
20/21
5.77709%
21/22
5.8199%
22/23
5.22965%
23/24
5.50002%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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