The Abbey Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Albans, St Albans

Good
Primary
Voluntary aided school
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~445m)Possible (~635m)Unlikely (~826m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Linda O'Melia
Pupils:189 / 210 capacity
LA:Hertfordshire
Phone:01727851802
Address:Grove Road, St Albans, AL1 1DQ
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:117449
UKPRN:10070368
Diocese:Diocese of St Albans
Constituency:St Albans
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at creating a stimulating, varied learning experience where pupils are genuinely happy and motivated. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed to ensure all pupils, including those with additional needs, access learning successfully. The school goes beyond academics to develop well-rounded citizens through community involvement, leadership opportunities and exposure to diverse perspectives and careers.

Key Strengths

  • Ambitious, well-planned curriculum with clear knowledge progression across all subjects
  • Excellent phonics and reading programme with strong support for struggling readers
  • Exemplary pupil behaviour, high attendance and enthusiasm for learning
  • Strong sense of family with excellent pastoral care and knowledge of individual pupils
  • Comprehensive enrichment including clubs (fencing, chess, creative writing), trips, visitors and community involvement

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with leaders putting pupils at the heart of all decisions and creating an open, positive culture around safeguarding.

Extracurricular Activities

Fencing, chess, child-led creative writing, curriculum enrichment trips, visitor sessions from different faiths and careers, legal system teaching by local magistrates, charity work, leadership and citizenship activities

The Abbey Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is an exceptionally happy school where pupils achieve exceptionally well across an ambitious curriculum. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly since the previous inspection.

At a Glance

3.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

93 responses
Would recommend96%
Child is happy96%
Well taught96%
Good progress96%
Feels safe98%
Well behaved96%
Bullying dealt with17%
Kept informed97%
Handles concerns69%
Wider development95%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-3ppMaths-6ppWriting-3pp

Reading has remained stable at around 90%. Maths has declined from 93% to 87%. Writing has remained stable at around 90%.

Class Sizes

25.3

Avg class size

21.3

Infant (KS1)

28.3

KS2

7

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

St Albans Abbey Rail Station
323m · 5 min walk

Bus Stops

Belmont Hill (nr)
61m · 1 min walk
St Albans Abbey Railway Station (Stop B)
164m · 3 min walk
Abbey (opp)
217m · 4 min walk
The Peahen PH (Stop A)
426m · 7 min walk
Griffiths Way (SE-bound)
428m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

90%

Near capacity

189 pupils

210 capacity

21 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - St Albans

Low pressure
New homes approved:2,116
Projected new pupils:529

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for St Albans

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(105)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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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

3.89648%

Overall absence

6.50888%

Persistent absence

169

Enrolments

Authorised3.57149%
Unauthorised0.32499%
Persistent (10%+)6.50888%
Severe (50%+)0.59172%

Absence trend

3.56052%
18/19
5.60241%
20/21
5.83649%
21/22
4.64231%
22/23
4.42197%
23/24
3.89648%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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