Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery
General Information
- Address: Nurseries Road, Wheathampstead, St. Albans, AL4 8TP – View on map
- Phone: 01582832661
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Ms Karen Thomas
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 15 families put it first for 16 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Does not apply
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 62
- % eligible for free school meals: 40.5%
- Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (similar to the St Albans average)
- English as an additional language: 12% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 9.7% a year (St Albans 16%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 36% moved to another school, 64% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 33 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 13 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Hertfordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 6.1%
- Persistently absent pupils: 16.0%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 18.1%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 11.1%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 7 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 11 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2022 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 50% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 18% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 26 percentage points below the St Albans average (76%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 54% against an expected 57%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 54%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 61% · Writing 71% · Maths 57% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 68%
- Average test scores: reading 105, maths 102
- Based on: 28 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: 40th of 42 junior and primary schools in the area
- =38Mount Pleasant Lane Primary School53%
- =38Sandridge School53%
- #40Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery50%
- #41Windermere Primary School48%
- #42Bowmansgreen Primary School41%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
7th of 29 primary schools in St Albans for Ofsted rating
- #5Aboyne Lodge Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolGood
- #6Alban City SchoolGood
- #7Beech Hyde Primary School and NurseryGood
- #8Bowmansgreen Primary SchoolGood
- #9Camp Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £8,638 (2024-25)
3rd of 36 primary schools in St Albans for spending per pupil
- #1Sauncey Wood Primary School£10,549
- #2Margaret Wix Primary School£10,336
- #3Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery£8,638
- #4Windermere Primary School£8,571
- #5London Colney Primary & Nursery School£8,278
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)