SCHOOL PROFILE

Downfield Primary School

Primary Community school URN 117255
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 420 Published school capacity
Capacity used 111.2% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

19 November 2024
Latest published outcome Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Hertfordshire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 467 428 full-time · 39 part-time
Female pupils 239 51.2% of pupils
Male pupils 228 48.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

27.0%
2.2 pts above England
School 27.0%
Broxbourne 21.3%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

38.3%
18.0 pts above England
School 38.3%
Broxbourne 22.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Broxbourne 1.0%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
37.9%
177
Any other White background
32.1%
150
Any other Mixed background
7.1%
33
African
5.4%
25
Any other ethnic group
3.9%
18
White and Black Caribbean
2.8%
13
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 37.9% 177 of 467 pupils
17.1 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 37.9%
Broxbourne 18.7%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 28.7% 134 pupils
England 14.8% 13.9 pts above
EHC plans 9.2% 43 pupils
England 6.0% 3.2 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 66
Speech, language & communication 44
Moderate learning difficulty 34
Autistic spectrum disorder 21
Specific learning difficulty 5
Physical disability 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

22.0% 38.4 pts below England
School 22.0%
Broxbourne 59.1%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

61.0%

12.8 pts below England

School 61.0%
Broxbourne 75.2%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

26.0%

44.3 pts below England

School 26.0%
Broxbourne 71.1%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

57.0%

15.0 pts below England

School 57.0%
Broxbourne 74.2%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.17%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.95 pts higher than England
School 7.17%
Broxbourne 6.58%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.61%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.80 pts higher than England
School 19.61%
Broxbourne 17.30%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.21%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.41 pts higher than England
School 2.21%
Broxbourne 1.74%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

111.2% 23.0 pts above England
Downfield Primary School
111.2%
Broxbourne
89.6%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information