The Orchard Primary School

Watford · WD24 5JW

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 434 pupils, 14.6% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.9% on SEN support Behaviour 4.0% absence rate Staff 13.1% turnover Financials £6,024 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

We haven't asked this school for its behaviour and staffing figures yet. Sign up to tell us you'd like them, and we'll email you when they arrive.

Notify me

Your email address

Leave this empty

We'll email you a link to confirm first. Your address is only used for news about this school, and every email has a link to stop them. Privacy

The Orchard Primary School

General Information

Address: Gammons Lane, Watford, WD24 5JW – View on map
Phone: 01923672280
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Jonny Spector
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 36 families put it first for 46 places – 8 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 8 · 2024 9 · 2025 6 · 2026 8
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

434 pupils out of 450 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 61
% eligible for free school meals: 14.6%
Pupil mix: 9 in 10 (similar to the Watford average)
English as an additional language: 56% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 13.1% a year (Watford 17.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 92% moved to another school, 8% 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.

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: 4.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.7%
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: 12.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 24 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 12 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils

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 –

Be the first to review — win £100 of books for your school Every honest review enters you into our prize draw

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

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.

–

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.

–

Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2022 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: 70% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 20% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Watford average (70%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 75% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 75%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 88% · Writing 80% · Maths 80% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 92%
Average test scores: reading 108, maths 108
Based on: 60 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 schoolWatford 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 in line with the Watford average (70%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 12th of 22 junior and primary schools in the area

=10Knutsford Primary Academy72%
=12Laurance Haines School70%
=12The Orchard Primary School70%
#14Central Primary School69%
#15Watford St John's Church of England Primary School67%

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

#1Nascot Wood Junior School88%
=2Bromet Primary School85%
=2Field Junior School85%
#4Holy Rood Catholic Primary School84%
#5Kingsway Junior School80%
#6Cassiobury Junior School77%
#7Ascot Road Primary School75%
#8Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery74%
#9Lanchester Primary School73%
=10Beechfield School72%
=10Knutsford Primary Academy72%
=12Laurance Haines School70%
=12The Orchard Primary School70%
#14Central Primary School69%
#15Watford St John's Church of England Primary School67%
#16The Grove Academy64%
#17Chater Junior School63%
#18St Anthony's Catholic Primary School61%
#19Parkgate Junior School58%
#20Cherry Tree Primary School48%
#21Coates Way JMI and Nursery School47%
#22Leavesden JMI School40%

View full Ofsted inspection report

10th of 11 primary schools in Watford for Ofsted rating

#8Laurance Haines SchoolGood
#9Leavesden JMI SchoolGood
#10The Orchard Primary SchoolGood
#11Willow Tree Primary SchoolRequires improvement

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

#1Holy Rood Catholic Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Alban Wood Primary School and NurseryGood
#3Ascot Road Primary SchoolGood
#4Beechfield SchoolGood
#5Cherry Tree Primary SchoolGood
#6Knutsford Primary AcademyGood
#7Lanchester Primary SchoolGood
#8Laurance Haines SchoolGood
#9Leavesden JMI SchoolGood
#10The Orchard Primary SchoolGood
#11Willow Tree Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,024 (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.

10th of 16 primary schools in Watford for spending per pupil

#8Lanchester Primary School£6,183
#9St Anthony's Catholic Primary School£6,082
#10The Orchard Primary School£6,024
#11Laurance Haines School£5,989
#12Knutsford Primary Academy£5,975

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

#1Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery£7,129
#2Central Primary School£6,807
#3Coates Way JMI and Nursery School£6,781
#4The Grove Academy£6,653
#5Watford St John's Church of England Primary School£6,424
#6Leavesden JMI School£6,263
#7Cherry Tree Primary School£6,260
#8Lanchester Primary School£6,183
#9St Anthony's Catholic Primary School£6,082
#10The Orchard Primary School£6,024
#11Laurance Haines School£5,989
#12Knutsford Primary Academy£5,975
#13Beechfield School£5,946
#14Ascot Road Primary School£5,828
#15Holy Rood Catholic Primary School£5,618
#16Bromet Primary School£5,599

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

Have you rated The Orchard Primary School yet? Your experience helps other parents.

Rate this school