Knutsford Primary Academy
Balmoral Road, Watford, WD24 7ER
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ASPIRE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Benjamin Conway
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Aspire Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 438
- URN
- 146123
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01923466020
About this school
Knutsford Primary Academy is a primary academy in Watford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 438 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Knutsford Primary Academy, 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
- Good
- 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 | 58 | 60 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 80% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 16% | 10% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 87% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 93% | 92% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 92% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 111.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.60 | - | - |
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 Knutsford Primary Academy 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 | 80% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 436 |
| 2023/24 | 437 |
| 2024/25 | 439 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Knutsford Primary Academy compares
Knutsford Primary Academy ranked 116th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 5% | 8.7% | 438 | — |
| Parkgate Junior School | 58% | 4% | 14.3% | 236 | 0.4 miles |
| Parkgate Infants' and Nursery School | — | 5.2% | 5.7% | 202 | 0.5 miles |
| Highwood Primary School | 41% | 5.4% | 19.2% | 445 | 0.6 miles |
| The Grove Academy | 64% | 6.6% | 33.3% | 473 | 0.9 miles |
| Beechfield School | 72% | 6.2% | 24.6% | 444 | 0.9 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)
- 8.65%
- English as an additional language
- 28.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.96%
- Persistent absence
- 8.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parkgate Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Parkgate Infants' and Nursery School0.5 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Highwood Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Bushey
-
The Grove Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Beechfield School0.9 miles
Primary · Watford
Other schools in Watford
Knutsford Primary Academy ranks 12th 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 Knutsford Primary Academy teach?
- Knutsford Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Watford.
- Who is the headteacher of Knutsford Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Knutsford Primary Academy is Mr Benjamin Conway, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Knutsford Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Knutsford Primary Academy, 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 Knutsford Primary Academy?
- Knutsford Primary Academy has 438 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Knutsford Primary Academy full?
- Knutsford Primary Academy has capacity for 420 pupils and 438 on roll (104%), so it is at or above 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 Knutsford Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Knutsford Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Knutsford Primary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Knutsford Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Knutsford Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Knutsford Primary Academy is part of ASPIRE ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Knutsford Primary Academy'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 72% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Knutsford Primary Academy compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- Knutsford Primary Academy ranked 116th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Knutsford Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Knutsford Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Knutsford Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Knutsford Primary Academy'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.