The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
Set just outside Hertford in Hertingfordbury, St Joseph's in the Park is an independent day prep for pupils aged 3 to 11, with a relatively small roll and a clear emphasis on inclusion, early years, and confidence-building through day-to-day routines. In its most recent inspection, leaders were described as proactive in promoting pupils’ wellbeing, with a culture shaped by mutual respect and an emphasis on pupils’ self-confidence.
A defining feature is the Woodlands Learning Centre, an integrated specialist provision for pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities, supported by teaching assistants and specialist teaching. The inspection report describes an individualised programme of support for pupils with SEND, and notes that pupils with SEND make good progress because the support and teaching are thorough and detailed.
You will also see the school referred to publicly as Hertford Prep, reflecting a rebrand that positions it more clearly within the local independent sector market.
The school’s character is best understood as values-led and deliberately small-scale, with adults aiming to know pupils well and to make daily routines feel safe and purposeful. In practice, that shows up in two ways.
First, behaviour and personal development are treated as core outcomes, not a bolt-on. Pupils were described as confident, with high levels of behaviour, and the wider culture is framed around inclusivity and respect. The inspection narrative links this explicitly to leadership intent and to the way pupils talk about themselves and others.
Second, the school appears to put real weight on belonging for children who need additional support. The Woodlands Learning Centre is not positioned as a separate annex; instead it is described as integral to the school, with pupils accessing wider school life alongside specialist input. That matters for families weighing specialist support against social inclusion, because a model that keeps pupils connected can reduce the sense of being “othered” by the support they receive.
The early years also come through strongly. The inspection describes structured support for communication and language, with stories, songs, and modelling of vocabulary and phrases. Numeracy is presented as practical and engaging, built through activities that make number feel concrete rather than abstract. The implication for parents is straightforward, children who thrive on learning-through-doing are likely to find the early years approach intuitive and enjoyable.
As an independent prep, St Joseph's in the Park does not sit within the same publicly comparable Key Stage 2 results framework as state primaries, and there are no published performance metrics presented here to compare directly against England averages.
What can be said, based on the most recent inspection evidence, is that teaching is planned to provide suitable challenge across different starting points, including pupils working beyond typical age-related expectations in some subjects. The report also describes pupils making good progress because teachers use strong subject knowledge, varied methods, and feedback that helps pupils understand how to improve.
For families, the practical implication is that the school’s academic story is likely to be clearest when you look at individual work, talk to staff about how pupils are grouped and extended, and ask what “challenge” looks like in Year 5 and Year 6 for high-attaining pupils.
Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool local comparison tools to line up nearby schools on the metrics that are available, then use visits and pupil work as the tie-breaker for a prep setting where published data is thinner.
Teaching is described as structured and purposeful, with a balanced curriculum and an emphasis on core skills. The inspection report highlights a focus on literacy and numeracy alongside a broader subject mix, and notes that subject leaders look for connections across subjects to deepen understanding.
There are several practical signals of how learning is organised:
Outdoor learning is built into curriculum delivery, not treated purely as enrichment. Inspectors note that resources and facilities support outdoor lessons when appropriate, and give examples of science learning enhanced outdoors. This typically suits pupils who learn best when concepts are anchored to tangible experiences.
French is part of the learning experience, with pupils practising spoken language carefully, supported by staff modelling pronunciation and expression. For parents who value languages early, that indicates a curriculum that expects performance, not just exposure.
Assessment is used diagnostically, with leaders collecting data to monitor progress and set targets, then adjusting provision when analysis suggests it is needed. The value here is responsiveness, especially for pupils who may accelerate quickly or who may need a sharper intervention plan.
For pupils with SEND, the teaching model is described as layered. Support can include in-class guidance from teaching assistants and, where appropriate, focused teaching in the Woodlands Learning Centre. That combination matters because it suggests a preference for supporting pupils within mainstream classroom learning wherever possible, then adding specialist teaching without removing children from wider school life unnecessarily.
At the end of Year 6, pupils move on to a range of secondary and senior schools, with the inspection noting that many of those next-step schools have competitive entry processes.
Because the school’s public materials accessed here do not provide a published annual list of destination schools with numbers, the most useful approach for parents is to ask directly which senior schools have been typical destinations over the past two to three years, and what the school’s support looks like for different routes (academic scholarships, music pathways, sport, and standard entrance assessments).
For families with a child in the Woodlands Learning Centre, it is also worth asking how transition planning is handled, including what evidence is prepared for senior schools, and how the school supports families navigating reasonable adjustments for entrance testing.
Admissions are presented as a relationship-led process, centred on seeing the school in action and ensuring mutual fit. The school invites prospective families to engage with a visit and, for the child, a taster day style experience, after which a place may be offered if it feels right for both sides.
For families targeting Reception entry for September 2026, one published opportunity is an Open Morning scheduled for 6 February 2026 at 09:30. Availability and booking arrangements can change, so families should check the school’s latest admissions communications before relying on a single event.
A practical note for parents comparing independent and state routes: Hertfordshire’s coordinated admissions deadlines apply to state primaries, whereas independent schools commonly run their own timelines. Here, the school’s published approach suggests flexibility, but you should still clarify three things early: when places tend to fill for your target year group, what paperwork is required for a formal application, and what the decision timeline looks like after a taster day.
Pastoral care is a headline strength in the inspection evidence. Leaders are described as proactive in promoting wellbeing, and the impact is framed as pupils who show strong self-confidence and consistent behaviour.
Safeguarding is treated as a whole-school culture issue rather than a compliance exercise. The safeguarding section describes appropriate policies and procedures, safer recruitment checks, staff training, careful recording, and systems that protect pupils online. The June 2025 ISI inspection concluded that safeguarding-related standards are met.
For parents, the implication is that the essentials are in place: children should know how to raise concerns, staff should know what to look for, and leaders should be equipped to act promptly and involve external agencies when appropriate.
The co-curricular picture that is publicly visible leans towards a mix of creative, academic, and outdoor experiences. Several specific activities are referenced as part of pupils’ wider opportunities, including:
Forest School
Coding
Drama
Chess
Choir
This mix matters because it signals breadth without requiring a large roll. For a small prep, named activities like these often function as “identity anchors” for pupils, giving them predictable spaces to build competence outside the core classroom.
The Woodlands Learning Centre is also framed as giving pupils access to the full co-curricular experience, which is not a given in many schools with specialist support. If your child needs learning support, this is one of the sharper questions to test on a visit: which clubs are truly accessible in practice, what adjustments are made, and whether participation is typical or exceptional.
St Joseph's in the Park is an independent school, so tuition fees apply.
Current fee information available publicly indicates annual fees in the region of £17,415 to £18,540 per year, with amounts typically rising as pupils move up the school. Exact 2025 to 2026 termly figures by year group were not available in the official pages accessed here, so families should confirm the relevant year-group fee directly before budgeting.
Financial assistance is referenced as being available in the form of bursaries and or other support, but no published percentage coverage or award values were visible in the sources accessed here. A sensible next step is to ask what proportion of awards are means-tested bursaries versus merit-based scholarships, and whether awards tend to be partial fee reductions or can be more substantial.
Fees data coming soon.
The school is a day prep with pupils aged 3 to 11. The roll was recorded as 136 pupils at the time of the June 2025 inspection, with 28 children in early years (one Nursery class and one Reception class).
A school swimming pool is referenced in school materials and in inspection-related risk assessment considerations.
Wraparound care is referenced as available, but specific hours and booking arrangements were not visible in the accessible page extracts here. Families who need early drop-off or later collection should confirm the current timetable and how it works for Nursery versus Reception and older pupils.
Limited published outcomes data. If you want easy comparison tables against England averages, an independent prep will not always provide that. You will likely rely more on work scrutiny, conversations with staff, and understanding how Year 6 transition is handled.
SEND demand and fit. The Woodlands Learning Centre is a strong proposition on paper, and inspection evidence supports its impact, but specialist provision is highly child-specific. Push for detail on staffing, timetabling, and how support scales across different types of need.
Economics and “real-world” learning depth. Inspectors identify economic education as an area that should be developed in greater depth. That will matter more to some families than others, but it is worth asking what has changed since the June 2025 inspection.
Open event timing. If you are targeting Reception 2026, note the February 2026 Open Morning date and plan early. Places in small preps can fill unpredictably depending on year-group churn.
St Joseph's in the Park stands out for two reasons: a clear wellbeing-led culture, and an integrated specialist support model through the Woodlands Learning Centre that aims to keep pupils included in the full life of the school. Inspection evidence supports the fundamentals, including safeguarding, and presents teaching as purposeful with appropriate challenge.
Who it suits: families who want a small independent prep where early years is taken seriously, where pupils with additional needs can receive structured support without being separated from wider school life, and where outdoor learning and enrichment are part of the rhythm of the week.
The most recent inspection, carried out in June 2025, concluded that the required standards are met, including safeguarding standards. The report describes a culture of mutual respect, strong wellbeing work, and pupils who show confidence and high levels of behaviour.
Available fee information indicates annual fees of around £17,415 to £18,540 per year, typically increasing as pupils move up the school. Families should confirm the fee for the relevant year group directly, and ask about bursaries or other assistance if needed.
The school promotes a visit-led approach, often including an opportunity to see the school in action and a child taster day, before an offer is made if it is the right fit. One published Open Morning date is 6 February 2026 at 09:30, but families should verify the latest schedule.
Yes. The Woodlands Learning Centre is described as an integral part of the school, providing specialist teaching and support, alongside in-class guidance from teaching assistants. The June 2025 inspection notes that pupils with SEND make good progress due to detailed teaching and effective support.
Activities referenced include Forest School, coding, drama, chess, and choir. Families should ask which clubs run each term, how places are allocated, and what adjustments are available for pupils who need them.
Get in touch with the school directly
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Information on this page is compiled, analysed, and processed from publicly available sources including the Department for Education (DfE), Ofsted, the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and official school websites.
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