SCHOOL PROFILE

Lakeside School

Not applicable Community special school URN 117680
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 105 Published school capacity
Capacity used 109.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

19 July 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Outstanding
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
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 115 115 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 36 31.3% of pupils
Male pupils 79 68.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

31.3%
6.5 pts above England
School 31.3%
Welwyn Hatfield 18.6%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

21.7%
1.4 pts above England
School 21.7%
Welwyn Hatfield 20.1%
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%
Welwyn Hatfield 2.5%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
45.2%
52
African
12.2%
14
Any other Asian background
7.8%
9
Any other White background
7.8%
9
Indian
6.1%
7
Pakistani
6.1%
7
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 100.0% 115 of 115 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 19.9%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 115 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Severe learning difficulty 106
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 9

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

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 58.9%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 75.4%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 65.8%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 69.6%
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

10.74%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

4.52 pts higher than England
School 10.74%
Welwyn Hatfield 6.31%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

36.73%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

20.92 pts higher than England
School 36.73%
Welwyn Hatfield 16.06%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.02%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.78 pts lower than England
School 1.02%
Welwyn Hatfield 1.94%
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 not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

109.5% 29.7 pts above England
Lakeside School
109.5%
Welwyn Hatfield
81.5%
East of England
78.7%
England
79.8%
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