Purwell Primary School

North Hertfordshire · SG4 0PU

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 129 pupils, 28.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 20.2% on SEN support Behaviour 6.7% absence rate Staff 22.4% turnover Financials £7,723 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Purwell Primary School

General Information

Address: Fairfield Way, Hitchin, SG4 0PU – View on map
Phone: 01462432950
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Richard Cano
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 7 families put it first for 7 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 7 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 8 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

129 pupils out of 243 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 36
% eligible for free school meals: 28.3%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (more mixed than the North Hertfordshire average)
English as an additional language: 12% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 22.4% a year (North Hertfordshire 16.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 33% moved to another school, 67% 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

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

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: 6.7%
Persistently absent pupils: 24.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 20.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.9%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 5 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2021 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 57% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 5 percentage points below the North Hertfordshire average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 63% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 63%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 73% · Writing 77% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 70%
Average test scores: reading 106, maths 104
Based on: 30 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

This schoolNorth Hertfordshire averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 5 percentage points below the North Hertfordshire average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 28th of 40 junior and primary schools in the area

=28Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
=28Our Lady Catholic Primary School57%
=28Purwell Primary School57%
=28Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
#32King James Academy Royston51%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Offley Endowed Primary School and Nursery80%
#2Round Diamond Primary School79%
#3William Ransom Primary School78%
#4Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School77%
=5Samuel Lucas Primary School75%
=5St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School75%
#7Ashwell Primary School74%
#8Whitehill Junior School72%
=9St Paul's Walden Primary School71%
=9Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant School71%
#11Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy70%
=12Codicote Church of England Primary School69%
=12St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School69%
=14Highover Primary School68%
=14St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin68%
=14Stonehill School68%
=17Cockernhoe Endowed CofE Primary School67%
=17Ickleford Primary School67%
#19Pirton School65%
=20Hartsfield Junior Mixed and Infant School64%
=20Knebworth Primary and Nursery School64%
=20Lordship Farm Primary School64%
=20The Grange Academy64%
#24Wilbury Junior School63%
#25St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School62%
=26Garden City Academy61%
=26St John Roman Catholic Primary School61%
=28Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
=28Our Lady Catholic Primary School57%
=28Purwell Primary School57%
=28Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
#32King James Academy Royston51%
=33Kimpton Primary School50%
=33Weston Primary & Nursery School50%
#35Oughton Primary and Nursery School48%
#36Mary Exton Primary School40%
#37Graveley Primary School38%
#38St Mary's Junior Mixed School35%
#39Pixmore Junior School30%
#40Preston Primary School27%

View full Ofsted inspection report

18th of 29 primary schools in North Hertfordshire for Ofsted rating

#16Our Lady Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#17Preston Primary SchoolGood
#18Purwell Primary SchoolGood
#19Reed First SchoolGood
#20Roman Way AcademyGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Samuel Lucas Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, HitchinOutstanding
#3St Mary Roman Catholic Primary SchoolOutstanding
#4Barkway VA Church of England First SchoolGood
#5Barley (VA) Church of England First SchoolGood
#6Garden City AcademyGood
#7Graveley Primary SchoolGood
#8Hartsfield Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolGood
#9Highover Primary SchoolGood
#10Ickleford Primary SchoolGood
#11Knebworth Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#12Mary Exton Primary SchoolGood
#13Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary SchoolGood
#14Offley Endowed Primary School and NurseryGood
#15Oughton Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#16Our Lady Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#17Preston Primary SchoolGood
#18Purwell Primary SchoolGood
#19Reed First SchoolGood
#20Roman Way AcademyGood
#21St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary SchoolGood
#22St John Roman Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#23St Paul's Walden Primary SchoolGood
#24St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#25Stonehill SchoolGood
#26Tannery Drift SchoolGood
#27Therfield First SchoolGood
#28Weston Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#29Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,723 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

16th of 40 primary schools in North Hertfordshire for spending per pupil

#14Weston Primary & Nursery School£7,880
#15Kimpton Primary School£7,744
#16Purwell Primary School£7,723
#17Stonehill School£7,432
#18Pirton School£7,361

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School£19,350
#2Barley (VA) Church of England First School£13,869
#3Preston Primary School£10,406
#4St Paul's Walden Primary School£10,201
#5Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School£9,567
#6Oughton Primary and Nursery School£8,756
#7Graveley Primary School£8,710
#8Garden City Academy£8,632
#9Cockernhoe Endowed CofE Primary School£8,569
#10Mary Exton Primary School£8,486
#11Therfield First School£8,430
#12Reed First School£8,036
#13Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant School£7,958
#14Weston Primary & Nursery School£7,880
#15Kimpton Primary School£7,744
#16Purwell Primary School£7,723
#17Stonehill School£7,432
#18Pirton School£7,361
#19St John Roman Catholic Primary School£7,352
#20Our Lady Catholic Primary School£7,145
#21St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School£6,897
#22Icknield Walk First School£6,787
#23Studlands Rise First School£6,772
#24Codicote Church of England Primary School£6,654
#25Knebworth Primary and Nursery School£6,653
#26Offley Endowed Primary School and Nursery£6,649
#27William Ransom Primary School£6,614
#28St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School£6,563
#29Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School£6,481
#30Ashwell Primary School£6,452
#31Lordship Farm Primary School£6,450
#32Roman Way Academy£6,374
#33Tannery Drift School£6,301
#34St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin£6,295
#35Ickleford Primary School£6,091
#36Hartsfield Junior Mixed and Infant School£5,983
#37Highover Primary School£5,901
#38Samuel Lucas Primary School£5,897
#39St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School£5,747
#40Round Diamond Primary School£5,724

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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