Walkern Primary School, Stevenage
Walkern Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Stevenage. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 23 schools in Stevenage with published results, and 4,602nd of 14,452 across England. It was 74% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Walkern Primary School in detail
Walkern Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £5.00 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at Walkern Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 100% in reading and 92% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Walkern Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Walkern Primary School as their first choice and 64 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Walkern Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Walkern Primary School are Benington Church of England Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 82% reading, 88% maths); Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (1.5 miles, Good); Lodge Farm Primary School (1.8 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 68% maths); and Martins Wood Primary School (1.9 miles, 78% reading, 85% maths).
Walkern Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Benington Church of England Primary SchoolArdeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolLodge Farm Primary SchoolMartins Wood Primary School
What parents say
71 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Walkern Primary School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (89%).
Who goes there
3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (18.2%) received SEN support and 2 (1.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Walkern Primary School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Walkern Primary School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cherry Tree Rise (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 0 crimes within a mile of the school. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Walkern Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 2.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 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
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Walkern Primary School creates a happy, safe environment where children thrive academically and develop strong values. The school excels at teaching reading and ensures all pupils - including those who struggle - become confident readers. Staff genuinely care about pupils' wellbeing, and children are proud of their school's focus on learning, friendship and kindness.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with a well-structured programme from early years that helps all pupils become fluent readers
- Pupils achieve well in writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6, preparing them well for secondary school
- Excellent behaviour and a calm, harmonious school environment where pupils live out the school values of learning, friendship and kindness
- Good support for pupils with SEND, allowing them to make good progress and access the full curriculum
- Pupils are taught to be citizens of a multicultural Britain, learning about different religions, celebrating differences and challenging stereotypes
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, pupils struggle to recall prior knowledge, limiting their ability to build understanding and make connections in their learning
- The curriculum does not detail exactly what pupils need to know and remember in some subjects
- School improvement priorities are not precisely matched to the curriculum areas that need most attention
- Strategic oversight of SEND needs to be more robust in some areas, such as checks on criteria for identifying SEND and how well pupils recall prior learning
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff ensuring pupils have trusted adults to help them and pupils knowing how to stay safe online.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential trips for older pupils, road safety visitors, museum visits, history re-enactments, school football team, trim trail, astro turf
Walkern Primary School has successfully maintained its good standards during a period of restructuring due to changing pupil numbers. Pupils are happy, safe and successful, with strong achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
At a Glance
20.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
71 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 declined from 100% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 92% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.7
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
26.7
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Walkern Primary School
Term dates
Walkern 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 Walkern Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Walkern 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
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
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, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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
Your chances of a place at Walkern Primary School
Will you get a place at Walkern Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Walkern Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Walkern Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Walkern 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 Walkern 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
74%
Available places
140 pupils
189 places
49 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stevenage
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stevenage
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
19.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
154
Total Pupils
79
Boys
75
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,252
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,221
Per pupil
£956k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
11.7%
Persistent absence
120
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Walkern Primary School
What are SATs results like at Walkern Primary School?
Of the pupils at Walkern Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Walkern Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Walkern Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Walkern Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Walkern 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 Walkern Primary School?
Walkern Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 74% of its 189 places.
How big are the classes at Walkern Primary School?
Classes at Walkern Primary School average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Walkern Primary School?
Walkern Primary School has around 154 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Walkern Primary School?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Walkern Primary School in 2024/25. 11.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Walkern Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Walkern 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.
What are Walkern Primary School's term dates?
Walkern 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 Walkern 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, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Walkern Primary School?
Walkern Primary School is at High Street, Walkern, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG2 7NS.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)