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Best primary schools in Bishop’s Stortford
Best primary schools in Welwyn Garden City
There are a handful of oversubscribed primary schools in Bishop’s Stortford that excel academically. The most popular by far is Windhill School, a well-led, family-friendly school where pupils’ personal development is taken as seriously as the academics.
To the south of the town is Richard Whittington Primary School – again, known for standout teaching and happy children – although you’ll need to live on the correct side of Thorley Park to get a place. To the north is Northgate Primary School, which has a vibrant, outward looking ethos. To the west, Hillmead Primary School has a community feel, while Manor Fields Primary School has nailed it with their reading programme and fun approach to learning.
Best state secondary schools in Bishop’s Stortford
Best private schools in Bishop’s Stortford
Best nurseries in Bishop’s Stortford
The two primaries on the west side of the city are perceived as the best by locals - Applecroft School is known for being kind and supportive, with academic rigour, while Templewood School is a one-form entry school based in a Grade 2 listed building. The latest Ofsted report says it ‘requires improvement’ but happy parents continue to vote with their feet. The most popular primary on the east side is Panshanger School, whose standout leadership ensures a tight focus on growing children’s confidence.
Among faith schools, Welwyn St Mary’s CofE Primary School is a three-form entry school that’s popular with families in surrounding villages – no need for proof of religion unless you live out of catchment. The Holy Family Catholic Family School is the favourite Catholic option, with most pupils going on to The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School in Stevenage. Priority at both is given to Catholic children.
Best state secondary schools in Welwyn Garden City
Best private schools in Welwyn Garden City
Best nurseries in Welwyn Garden City
The Hertfordshire County Council website sets out its SEND education options and admissions.
In the east of the county, Middleton School is an excellent primary school for children with autism, moderate learning difficulty and speech, language and communication difficulties. There are also two highly regarded all-through special schools: Lonsdale School in Stevenage, for 3-18-year-olds with complex needs and neurological conditions, and Amwell View School in Ware. The latter has grown in recent years to over 150 children aged 2-19 with severe and complex learning difficulties.
Mainstream primary schools that do well in supporting children with SEN include Hillmead Primary School in Bishop’s Stortford, while Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School in Welwyn Garden City, a two-form entry school based on two sites, has an SEN unit.
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Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
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