Buntingford First School
London Road, Buntingford, SG9 9HZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Vikki Johnston
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Scholars' Education Trust
- Constituency
- North East Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 330
- Pupils on roll
- 165
- URN
- 149748
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01763290350
About this school
Buntingford First School is a primary academy in Buntingford. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 165 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Early years
- Strong standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How Buntingford 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 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 70 |
| 2024/25 | 123 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Buntingford First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 15% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 8.2% | 23.1% | 165 | — |
| Millfield First and Nursery School | — | 4.4% | 10.2% | 311 | 0.7 miles |
| Layston Church of England First School | — | 5.6% | 21.6% | 124 | 0.9 miles |
| Hormead Church of England (VA) First School | — | 3.9% | 14.6% | 143 | 2.0 miles |
| Jenyns First School and Nursery | — | 4.4% | 7.1% | 66 | 2.7 miles |
| St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School | 56% | 5.1% | 14.8% | 112 | 3.4 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)
- 23.08%
- English as an additional language
- 1.6%
- Overall absence
- 8.21%
- Persistent absence
- 22.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Millfield First and Nursery School0.7 miles
Primary · Buntingford
-
Layston Church of England First School0.9 miles
Primary · Buntingford
-
Hormead Church of England (VA) First School2.0 miles
Primary · Buntingford
-
Jenyns First School and Nursery2.7 miles
Primary · Ware
-
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Ware
Other schools in Buntingford
- Anstey 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 Buntingford First School teach?
- Buntingford First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Buntingford.
- Who is the headteacher of Buntingford First School?
- The headteacher of Buntingford First School is Mrs Vikki Johnston, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Buntingford First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Buntingford 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 Buntingford First School?
- Buntingford First School has 165 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Buntingford First School full?
- Buntingford First School has capacity for 330 pupils and 165 on roll (50%), 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 Buntingford First School a faith school?
- No. Buntingford First School has no designated religious character.
- Is Buntingford First School a selective school?
- No. Buntingford First School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Buntingford First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Buntingford First School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Buntingford First School?
- Buntingford First School is part of SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Buntingford First School's absence rate?
- Buntingford First School's overall absence rate is 8.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Buntingford 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 Buntingford 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.