St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Hoddesdon Review 2026: High-performing Catholic primary with nursery

St Augustine’s serves families in Hoddesdon who want a strongly Catholic school culture alongside results that, on the evidence, sit well above England averages. The most recent published Key Stage 2 outcomes show exceptionally high attainment across reading, writing and mathematics, with similarly strong scaled scores in reading, mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling.

The school includes nursery provision from age 3, with a clear day structure and a routine that starts early, the school day begins at 8:40am for Reception through Key Stage 2. Wraparound care is practical for working families, with breakfast provision and after-school care offered on site, and clubs run straight after lessons.

A clear sense of Catholic identity runs through school life, and it is described not as an add-on, but as the organising framework for the year, including the rhythm of the Church’s liturgical calendar and parish links. Parents who want faith to be visible in assemblies, worship, and daily language tend to appreciate this clarity. Families who prefer a looser connection to religious practice should read the admissions criteria carefully, because the school sets expectations about support for its ethos.

Leadership sits within a wider trust structure, and the current executive headteacher is Joanne Walsh. That matters in practice because day-to-day routines can be consistent, but strategic decisions and accountability also involve trust-level oversight. The school’s recent official inspection commentary points to an orderly, purposeful climate where pupils concentrate well in lessons and relationships with staff are secure, including for pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities.

The school’s origin story is unusually specific. Catholic education in Hoddesdon began with the Canons Regular of St Augustine’s, with the parish founded in 1932 and the school established as a non-fee paying primary in 1933, supported by the Convent Sisters of Our Lady. For parents, this history is less about nostalgia and more about why the school’s Catholic life feels embedded rather than symbolic.

Results are the headline here, and they are strong enough to be meaningful even for parents who normally take school data with caution.

In the most recent published Key Stage 2 outcomes, 96.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 44.67% reached greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. These gaps are large, and they suggest that the school is not only securing the basics for most pupils, but also stretching a substantial top group. (England comparisons are based on the same official-data benchmarks used in the FindMySchool model.)

Scaled scores reinforce the pattern. Reading averaged 109, mathematics 108, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 112, with particularly high proportions reaching the expected standard in mathematics (100%) and grammar, punctuation and spelling (96%). High scores were common too, with 52% achieving high scores in reading, 41% in mathematics, and 59% in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

On the FindMySchool primary outcomes ranking, the school is ranked 547th in England and 2nd in the Hoddesdon area. That places it well above England average, within the top 10% of primaries in England, and closer to the top 5% than the middle of the pack. Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to sanity-check how unusual this level of performance is in the immediate area.

The most useful way to think about teaching at St Augustine’s is that it appears to be systematic. The published inspection narrative describes an ambitious curriculum with clear progression, and staff training that helps teachers work from shared routines rather than idiosyncratic approaches. That kind of coherence is often what sits behind consistently high attainment, particularly when cohorts vary year to year.

Early reading also looks like a priority, starting from Reception. Strong phonics teaching tends to show up later in confident Key Stage 2 comprehension, and the school’s reading outcomes align with that trajectory. Alongside this, day-to-day assessment is described as tight, with staff checking what pupils know, spotting gaps early, and building in extra practice rather than letting misconceptions drift.

For pupils who need additional support, the same expectations apply, with needs identified early and classroom practice adapted as routine rather than exceptional. For parents, the implication is that support is more likely to be integrated into normal lessons, not delivered only as separate interventions.

As a primary school, the key transition is to Year 7, and Hertfordshire families typically have a mix of options to consider, including local comprehensive schools and selective routes in the wider region. St Augustine’s does not publish a single guaranteed destination pathway, so parents should treat secondary planning as a parallel project rather than something to solve in Year 6.

The practical takeaway is to start looking at Hertfordshire secondary admissions well before the Year 6 autumn term. For families aiming for a faith-based secondary, it is sensible to check how evidence of practice is defined, and whether supplementary forms are required, because those requirements can mirror what you see at primary level.

This is a popular school by the numbers, and that is visible in its application-to-offer ratio. In the most recent Reception admissions dataset, there were 76 applications for 29 offers, a ratio that indicates more than two applicants for each place. First-preference demand also ran ahead of offers. That combination usually means families should be realistic about the likelihood of entry if they sit outside priority categories.

For Reception entry for September 2026, applications opened on 03 November 2025 and the closing date for both the local authority application and the school’s supplementary form was 15 January 2026.

The school is its own admitting authority, and its published admission number for Reception is 30. Oversubscription criteria give priority in a way that reflects the school’s Catholic character, with Catholic looked-after children and baptised Catholic children prioritised highly, and sibling links playing a role within categories. Parents considering an application should plan for the paperwork, because the supplementary information form is not optional if you want your child considered under faith criteria.

Nursery admissions are handled directly with the school, rather than through the local authority process. For the 2026 to 2027 nursery intake, the published closing date for applications is 13 February 2026.

Parents assessing the feasibility of Reception entry can use the FindMySchool Map Search to check how their home location relates to likely priority patterns, then cross-check against the admissions rules rather than relying on informal local knowledge.

Pastoral care is framed around clear safeguarding expectations and defined roles. The headteacher is named as the Designated Senior Person for child protection, supported by deputy designated leads in senior roles. That explicit structure usually reassures parents who want clarity on who holds responsibility, and how concerns escalate.

Pupil voice is also part of the school’s functioning, not just a token. The most recent inspection narrative references leadership roles such as school council representation and a teaching and learning committee, which suggests that pupils are expected to contribute to how the school runs.

The latest Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements as effective, which is the single most important baseline indicator for any school judgement, regardless of academic performance.

Clubs and enrichment appear to be treated as a normal extension of the school day, not an occasional add-on. A practical detail parents tend to value is timing, clubs run 3:15pm to 4:15pm, directly after the school day, which makes attendance feasible without additional transport planning.

Current named activities on offer include archery (Mondays) and gymnastics (Tuesdays), alongside after-school football and tennis through external coaching providers. For pupils, these kinds of clubs do two things at once. They provide structured movement and skill-building, and they broaden peer groups across year groups, which can be particularly helpful for pupils who are quieter in the classroom.

Even outside formal clubs, wraparound provision describes a mix of arts and crafts, ICT games, board games, reading, outdoor play, and gardening when weather allows. The important point is not the list itself, but the pattern, supervised time that is purposeful rather than simply “holding” children until pickup.

The inspection narrative also mentions themed experiences such as cultural heritage week, plus meaningful leadership opportunities. For parents, this matters because it signals a curriculum and enrichment programme that wants pupils to think beyond the immediate classroom, including on themes like diversity and community responsibility.

The school day structure is published clearly. For Reception and Key Stage 1, learning runs from 8:40am to 3:15pm with a morning break and a one-hour lunch. Key Stage 2 runs from 8:40am to 3:15pm, with break from 10:15am to 10:30am and lunch from 12:15pm to 1:15pm. Nursery hours are listed separately, including a morning session starting at 8:40am.

Breakfast provision runs before the school day and ends at 8:40am. After-school care starts at 3:15pm, with sessions available up to 5:30pm, and places are capped, so families who need guaranteed wraparound should treat early booking as part of their plan. The school publishes per-session pricing for breakfast and after-school care, and bookings are handled through the school’s parent system.

For travel, Hoddesdon is well connected for local driving and bus routes, and many families combine walking or short drives with wraparound care, particularly where work patterns require earlier drop-off or later collection.

• Oversubscription is real. With 76 applications for 29 offers in the most recent Reception dataset, competition is a defining feature of this school. Have a realistic Plan B alongside your application.

• Faith criteria matter in practice. To be considered under Catholic criteria you should expect to complete the supplementary information form and provide the evidence required by the admissions policy. Families who want a Catholic ethos but do not meet faith criteria should read how lower-priority categories are handled.

• Leadership is within a trust context. The executive headteacher role sits alongside trust-wide oversight, which can be a strength for consistency and accountability, but it also means strategic direction is not only school-local.

• Wraparound places are limited. After-school care places are capped, so families who rely on after-school provision should check availability early and plan around booking requirements.

For a Catholic primary with nursery, St Augustine’s stands out on outcomes and on the clarity of its ethos. The published figures suggest pupils leave Year 6 exceptionally well prepared academically, and the wider programme, clubs, leadership roles, and cultural enrichment, supports a broader formation beyond test preparation.

It suits families who actively want a Catholic environment, value high attainment, and can engage early with admissions paperwork and deadlines. The limiting factor is entry, not the educational offer.