Preston Primary School
Back Lane, Preston, Hitchin, SG4 7UJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jacomina Luitingh
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- Hitchin
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 60
- URN
- 117403
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01462451734
About this school
Preston Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Hitchin. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 60 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Preston Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 7 | 11 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 55% | 27% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 18% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 86% | 91% | 64% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 73% | 55% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 64% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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 Preston Primary 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 | 71% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 27% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70 |
| 2023/24 | 67 |
| 2024/25 | 68 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Preston Primary School compares
Preston Primary School ranked 334th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 27% | 5.5% | 2.9% | 60 | — |
| St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School | 75% | 4% | 11.8% | 161 | 2.0 miles |
| St Paul's Walden Primary School | 71% | 4.2% | 16.7% | 74 | 2.1 miles |
| Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School | 57% | 3.6% | 12.5% | 84 | 2.3 miles |
| Whitehill Junior School | 72% | 3.1% | 10.4% | 241 | 2.5 miles |
| Highbury Infant School and Nursery | — | 3.9% | 8.4% | 195 | 2.8 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
- 7 February 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report3 February 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 2.94%
- English as an additional language
- 4.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.5%
- Persistent absence
- 12.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
St Paul's Walden Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School2.3 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Whitehill Junior School2.5 miles
Primary · Hitchin
-
Highbury Infant School and Nursery2.8 miles
Primary · Hitchin
Other schools in Hitchin
Preston Primary School ranks 22nd of the 22 ranked primary schools in Hitchin.
- Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School Primary
- Codicote Church of England Primary School Primary
- Graveley Primary School Primary
- Highbury Infant School and Nursery 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
Common questions
- What ages does Preston Primary School teach?
- Preston Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Hitchin.
- Who is the headteacher of Preston Primary School?
- The headteacher of Preston Primary School is Mrs Jacomina Luitingh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Preston Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Preston Primary 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 many pupils are at Preston Primary School?
- Preston Primary School has 60 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Preston Primary School full?
- Preston Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 60 on roll (57%), 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 Preston Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Preston Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Preston Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Preston Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Preston Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 27% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Preston Primary School compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Preston Primary School ranked 334th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Preston Primary School's absence rate?
- Preston Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Preston Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Preston Primary 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.