Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy, Hitchin
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Hitchin, part of Reach2 Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 22 schools in Hitchin with published results, and 6,110th of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025, at 116% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Capacity
- Full
- Attendance
- In line with England
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy in detail
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are very proud to welcome you to Wilshere Dacre Junior Academy. We are a popular junior school with a current roll of 266 children. Deliver an inclusive school where children love to learn and teachers love to teach. To value and recognise the unique and distinct character of every member of our school family."
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 26 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 79% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (82% in reading, 75% in maths).
Getting a place at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy
Across Hertfordshire, 89% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Hertfordshire lodged 319 appeals against primary school offers; 155 reached a hearing and 21 succeeded (13.5% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy are Samuel Lucas Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 80% maths); Oughton Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Good, 55% reading, 72% maths); Strathmore Infant and Nursery School (0.5 miles, Good); and Highbury Infant School and Nursery (0.7 miles, Good).
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Samuel Lucas Primary SchoolOughton Primary and Nursery SchoolStrathmore Infant and Nursery SchoolHighbury Infant School and Nursery
The trust
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy is one of 65 schools run by Reach2 Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
108 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 63% 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) (63%).
Who goes there
11.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hitchin Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Football Club (opposite), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 227 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, Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy issued 9 suspensions, 3.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy are Hitchin Boys' School (0.2 miles), The Priory School (0.6 miles) and Hitchin Girls' School (0.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
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 January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Wilshere-Dacre creates a warm, inclusive environment where every child feels valued and safe. Teachers make learning exciting, motivating pupils to do their best, and the school provides a rich range of experiences from sports and arts to meaningful community activities that help children understand the world around them. Staff know pupils well and provide excellent support, particularly for children who need extra help.
Key Strengths
- Pupils have excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, with highly motivated students who work hard in lessons
- Reading is embedded throughout the curriculum with author visits and library trips that engage pupils
- Personal development is a strength, with character education based on school values and rich experiences including community service
- Staff provide expert teaching in well-established subjects with effective questioning and strategies to help pupils remember learning
- Strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, who achieve well despite gaps in learning
Areas for Improvement
- Some newly developed curriculum subjects lack clear focus on the most important knowledge pupils need, occasionally resulting in lessons that don't prioritise key content
- Teachers developing new curriculum plans need more clarity on essential concepts to ensure consistent high-quality delivery
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Author visits, library trips, dance routines, art, technology, board games, various sports, visits to local care homes, litter collection hikes
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. Pupils are proud to attend, describing the school as safe, friendly and supportive with strong positive relationships between staff and students.
At a Glance
11.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
108 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 remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 75% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
29.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy
Newsletter 25.09.26
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 11/09/2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 17.07.26
20 Jul 2026
Newsletter 03.07.26
3 Jul 2026
Newsletter - 12.06.26
12 Jun 2026
Newsletter - 08.05.26
8 May 2026
From Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy.
- Premier Oughton Wrap Around Care740m away · Not yet graded
- Club Excel Leisure @ The Priory School980m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 12 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
116%
Over capacity
267 pupils
230 places
37 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Hitchin
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Hitchin
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.
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
39
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
22.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
234
Total Pupils
105
Boys
129
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,144
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,071
Per pupil
£1437k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
268
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
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy
Questions parents ask about Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy
What are SATs results like at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Of the pupils at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 79% did so in maths.
What is Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy's Ofsted rating?
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy was full in 2025, at 116% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Classes at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy average 29.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy has around 234 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy: Premier Oughton Wrap Around Care (740m away, registered, not yet graded) and Club Excel Leisure @ The Priory School (980m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 12 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 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 Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy?
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy is at Fishponds Road, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1NS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)