Highbury Infant School and Nursery
Standhill Road, Hitchin, SG4 9AG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nancy Adshead
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 195
- URN
- 117113
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462630500
About this school
Highbury Infant School and Nursery is a community primary school in Hitchin. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 195 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 2 November 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Highbury Infant School and Nursery has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 217 |
| 2023/24 | 204 |
| 2024/25 | 214 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Highbury Infant School and Nursery compares
Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.9% | 8.4% | 195 | — |
| Whitehill Junior School | 72% | 3.1% | 10.4% | 241 | 0.4 miles |
| St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin | 68% | 3.7% | 8.5% | 234 | 0.5 miles |
| William Ransom Primary School | 78% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 419 | 0.6 miles |
| Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy | 70% | 4.7% | 15.2% | 234 | 0.7 miles |
| Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School | 75% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 416 | 0.7 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)
- 8.43%
- English as an additional language
- 10.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.91%
- Persistent absence
- 6.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Whitehill Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin0.5 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
William Ransom Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Hitchin
Other schools in Hitchin
- Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School Primary
- Codicote Church of England Primary School Primary
- Graveley Primary School Primary
- Highover Junior Mixed and Infant School Primary
- Ickleford Primary School Primary
- Kimpton Primary School Primary
- Mary Exton Primary School Primary
- Offley Endowed Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Oughton Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Our Lady Catholic Primary School Primary
- Pirton School Primary
- Preston Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Highbury Infant School and Nursery teach?
- Highbury Infant School and Nursery teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Hitchin.
- Who is the headteacher of Highbury Infant School and Nursery?
- The headteacher of Highbury Infant School and Nursery is Mrs Nancy Adshead, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highbury Infant School and Nursery last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highbury Infant School and Nursery, 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 Highbury Infant School and Nursery?
- Highbury Infant School and Nursery has 195 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is Highbury Infant School and Nursery full?
- Highbury Infant School and Nursery has capacity for 240 pupils and 195 on roll (81%), 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 Highbury Infant School and Nursery a faith school?
- No. Highbury Infant School and Nursery has no designated religious character.
- Does Highbury Infant School and Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Highbury Infant School and Nursery as having nursery classes.
- What is Highbury Infant School and Nursery's absence rate?
- Highbury Infant School and Nursery's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Highbury Infant School and Nursery publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Highbury Infant School and Nursery. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.