Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School, Welwyn Garden City
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Welwyn Garden City. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 15 schools in Welwyn Garden City with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School reached the expected standard in reading and 84% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 60% in reading and 44% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 47 families put Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School as their first choice and 123 named it as one of their preferences, for 52 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School are Holwell Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 86% reading, 88% maths); Panshanger Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths); Peartree Primary School (0.6 miles, 80% reading, 88% maths); and Watchlytes Primary School (0.6 miles, 76% reading, 84% maths).
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Holwell Primary SchoolPanshanger Primary SchoolPeartree Primary SchoolWatchlytes Primary School
What parents say
103 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 68% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (68%).
Who goes there
10% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (66%), Mixed (10%) and Asian (8%).
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism and severe learning difficulties: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School had 32 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Welwyn Garden City Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Salisbury Road (se-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 323 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School issued 16 suspensions, 3.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School are Ridgeway Academy (0.6 miles) and Stanborough School (1.5 miles).
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school has made impressive progress and now provides a high-quality education in a happy, safe environment. Children are passionate about reading and learning, with excellent teaching in phonics and strong support for those who need extra help. The school excels at developing well-rounded pupils who understand kindness, respect and ambition, with outstanding opportunities for leadership and mentoring.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional reading provision with rigorous staff training and high-quality phonics teaching from Nursery onwards
- Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with strong subject knowledge from staff
- Outstanding early years provision with children building strong foundations and being exceptionally well-prepared for Year 1
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, including the innovative WelHat hub
- Outstanding personal development with many leadership opportunities and an exemplary mentoring programme
Areas for Improvement
- Some older pupils have gaps in foundation subject knowledge due to previous curriculum weaknesses, affecting their ability to build on prior learning
- Need to ensure staff identify and address these knowledge gaps consistently across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils know they can turn to trusted adults with concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Termly clubs decided by school council, breakfast and after-school club, mentoring programme, school council leadership positions
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School has improved significantly since its previous inspection. The school is now rated Good overall, with an Outstanding early years provision and Outstanding personal development.
At a Glance
28.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism, SLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
103 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 60% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 44% to 84% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 49% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.1
Avg class size
23.0
Infant (KS1)
27.5
KS2
16
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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Hertfordshire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School.
- Stagecoach Welwyn Garden CityAt the school · Not yet graded
- Rising Stars Wrap Around Clubs860m away · Not yet graded
- Barracudas � Welwyn Ridgeway910m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Watchlytes Wrap Around Care970m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Peartree Wrap Around Care970m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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
93%
Near capacity
390 pupils
420 places
30 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Welwyn Garden City
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Welwyn Garden City
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(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
69
SEN Support
25
EHC Plans
22.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism and severe learning difficulties: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
418
Total Pupils
198
Boys
220
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
32
Teachers
13.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,646
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,575
Per pupil
£2314k
Total funding
£153k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
15.7%
Persistent absence
369
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
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School
What are SATs results like at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Of the pupils at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 84% did so in maths.
What is Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Classes at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School average 26.1 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School has around 418 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School have specialist SEN provision?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs, autism and severe learning difficulties: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School in 2024/25. 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Stagecoach Welwyn Garden City (registered, not yet graded). There are 4 more within a kilometre.
What are Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School's term dates?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 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 Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School?
Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School is at Blackthorn Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3JP.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)