Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School
Birch Green, Hertford, SG14 2LR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss Lorraine Gauld
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 235
- Pupils on roll
- 229
- URN
- 117563
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01992583239
About this school
Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Hertford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 229 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hertingfordbury Cowper 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 23 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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.
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 | 28 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 61% | 76% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 18% | 24% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 86% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 75% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 86% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Hertingfordbury Cowper 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 | 53% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 61% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 76% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 223 |
| 2023/24 | 225 |
| 2024/25 | 225 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School compares
Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School ranked 79th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 76% | 4.1% | 2.9% | 229 | — |
| Hollybush Primary School | 32% | 5.5% | 38.4% | 190 | 1.3 miles |
| Hertford St Andrew CofE Primary School | — | 5.9% | 49.6% | 156 | 1.4 miles |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) | 46% | 6.1% | 7.9% | 224 | 1.6 miles |
| Mill Mead Primary Academy | — | — | — | 216 | 2.0 miles |
| Morgans Primary School & Nursery | 58% | 6.1% | 19.1% | 346 | 2.0 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)
- 2.9%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 4.13%
- Persistent absence
- 8.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hollybush Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Hertford St Andrew CofE Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford)1.6 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Mill Mead Primary Academy2.0 miles
Primary · Hertford
-
Morgans Primary School & Nursery2.0 miles
Primary · Hertford
Other schools in Hertford
Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School ranks 3rd of the 12 ranked primary schools in Hertford.
- Abel Smith School Primary
- 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
- 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 ages does Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School teach?
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Hertford.
- Who is the headteacher of Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School?
- The headteacher of Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School is Miss Lorraine Gauld, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hertingfordbury Cowper 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 Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School?
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School has 229 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School full?
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School has capacity for 235 pupils and 229 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 76% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School ranked 79th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 80% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School's absence rate?
- Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hertingfordbury Cowper Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hertingfordbury Cowper 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.