Abel Smith School
Churchfields, Greencoates, Hertford, SG13 8AE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Law
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Hertford and Stortford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 226
- URN
- 117111
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01992583244
About this school
Abel Smith School is a community primary school in Hertford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 226 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 73% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 13% | 17% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 90% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 93% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 97% | 93% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Abel Smith School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 228 |
| 2023/24 | 230 |
| 2024/25 | 233 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Abel Smith School compares
Abel Smith School ranked 249th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 4.4% | 15.9% | 226 | — |
| Mill Mead Primary Academy | — | — | — | 216 | 0.5 miles |
| Morgans Primary School & Nursery | 58% | 6.1% | 19.1% | 346 | 0.6 miles |
| Wheatcroft Primary School | 51% | 4.2% | 15.5% | 319 | 0.8 miles |
| Bengeo Primary School | 61% | 4.4% | 12.4% | 449 | 1.0 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) | 46% | 6.1% | 7.9% | 224 | 1.0 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.87%
- English as an additional language
- 26.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.42%
- Persistent absence
- 10.11%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Mill Mead Primary Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Morgans Primary School & Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Wheatcroft Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Bengeo Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford)1.0 miles
Primary · Hertford
Other schools in Hertford
Abel Smith School ranks 7th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Hertford.
- Bayford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Bengeo Primary School Primary
- Hertford Heath Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Hertford St Andrew CofE Primary School Primary
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School Primary
- Hollybush Primary School Primary
- Mill Mead Primary Academy Primary
- Morgans Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Ponsbourne St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) Primary
- Stapleford Primary School Primary
- Watton-at-Stone Primary and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Abel Smith School teach?
- Abel Smith School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Hertford.
- Who is the headteacher of Abel Smith School?
- The headteacher of Abel Smith School is Mrs Nicola Law, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Abel Smith School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Abel Smith School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Abel Smith School?
- Abel Smith School has 226 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Abel Smith School full?
- Abel Smith School has capacity for 240 pupils and 226 on roll (94%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Abel Smith School a faith school?
- No. Abel Smith School has no designated religious character.
- Does Abel Smith School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Abel Smith School as having nursery classes.
- How have Abel Smith School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Abel Smith School rank locally?
- Abel Smith School ranked 249th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Abel Smith School's absence rate?
- Abel Smith School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Abel Smith School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Abel Smith School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.