The Orchard Primary School
Gammons Lane, Watford, WD24 5JW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- AGORA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonny Spector
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Agora Learning Partnership
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 434
- URN
- 145352
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01923672280
About this school
The Orchard Primary School is a primary academy in Watford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 434 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Orchard 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 June 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.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 58 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 81% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 21% | 20% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 88% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 92% | 86% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 92% | 88% | 92% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.00 | - | - |
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 The Orchard 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 | 73% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 81% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 442 |
| 2023/24 | 434 |
| 2024/25 | 435 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Orchard Primary School compares
The Orchard Primary School ranked 127th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. 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 | 70% | 4% | 18.5% | 434 | — |
| Beechfield School | 72% | 6.2% | 24.6% | 444 | 0.4 miles |
| Cherry Tree Primary School | 48% | 6.5% | 23.3% | 445 | 0.4 miles |
| Holy Rood Catholic Primary School | 84% | 4% | 4% | 454 | 0.6 miles |
| Kingsway Junior School | 80% | 4.9% | 28.4% | 235 | 0.7 miles |
| Kingsway Infants' School | — | 6.3% | 24.1% | 171 | 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)
- 18.52%
- English as an additional language
- 56.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.95%
- Persistent absence
- 8.72%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Beechfield School0.4 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Cherry Tree Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Holy Rood Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Kingsway Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Kingsway Infants' School0.7 miles
Primary · Watford
Other schools in Watford
The Orchard Primary School ranks 15th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Watford.
- Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Ascot Road Primary School Primary
- Beechfield School Primary
- Bromet Primary School Primary
- Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Cassiobury Junior School Primary
- Central Primary School Primary
- Chater Infant School Primary
- Chater Junior School Primary
- Cherry Tree Primary School Primary
- Coates Way JMI and Nursery School Primary
- Field Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Orchard Primary School teach?
- The Orchard Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Watford.
- Who is the headteacher of The Orchard Primary School?
- The headteacher of The Orchard Primary School is Mr Jonny Spector, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Orchard Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Orchard 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 The Orchard Primary School?
- The Orchard Primary School has 434 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is The Orchard Primary School full?
- The Orchard Primary School has capacity for 450 pupils and 434 on roll (96%), 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 The Orchard Primary School a faith school?
- No. The Orchard Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does The Orchard Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Orchard Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is The Orchard Primary School part of an academy trust?
- The Orchard Primary School is part of AGORA LEARNING PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Orchard Primary 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 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Orchard Primary School compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- The Orchard Primary School ranked 127th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Orchard Primary School's absence rate?
- The Orchard Primary School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Orchard Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Orchard 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 10 July 2026.