Anstey First School
Anstey, Buntingford, SG9 0BY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Richard McKelvey
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 70
- Pupils on roll
- 39
- URN
- 117218
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01763848346
About this school
Anstey First School is a community primary school in Buntingford. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 39 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Needs attention
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Needs attention
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How Anstey First 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51 |
| 2023/24 | 45 |
| 2024/25 | 44 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Anstey First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 7.8% | 34.4% | 39 | — |
| Hormead Church of England (VA) First School | — | 3.9% | 14.6% | 143 | 1.9 miles |
| Barkway VA Church of England First School | — | 12.7% | 50% | 24 | 2.1 miles |
| Layston Church of England First School | — | 5.6% | 21.6% | 124 | 3.1 miles |
| Reed First School | — | 3.2% | 7.6% | 64 | 3.4 miles |
| Furneux Pelham Church of England School | 42% | 3.9% | 13.3% | 107 | 3.5 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 34.38%
- English as an additional language
- 6.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.83%
- Persistent absence
- 24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hormead Church of England (VA) First School1.9 miles
Primary · Buntingford
-
Barkway VA Church of England First School2.1 miles
Primary · Barkway
-
Layston Church of England First School3.1 miles
Primary · Buntingford
-
Reed First School3.4 miles
Primary · Royston
-
Furneux Pelham Church of England School3.5 miles
Primary · Furneux Pelham
Other schools in Buntingford
- Buntingford First School Primary
- Hormead Church of England (VA) First School Primary
- Layston Church of England First School Primary
- Millfield First and Nursery School Primary
- Edwinstree Church of England Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Freman College Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Anstey First School teach?
- Anstey First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Buntingford.
- Who is the headteacher of Anstey First School?
- The headteacher of Anstey First School is Mr Richard McKelvey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Anstey First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Anstey First 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 Anstey First School?
- Anstey First School has 39 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Anstey First School full?
- Anstey First School has capacity for 70 pupils and 39 on roll (56%), 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 Anstey First School a faith school?
- No. Anstey First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Anstey First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Anstey First School as having nursery classes.
- What is Anstey First School's absence rate?
- Anstey First School's overall absence rate is 7.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Anstey First School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Anstey First School. 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 15 July 2026.