Therfield First School Review 2026: Small first school with a strong outdoor learning focus

For many state primaries, the simplest story is a clean comparison between Key Stage 2 outcomes and England averages. With a very small cohort size, that sort of picture is often less clear in national results, and the most meaningful evidence becomes broader: curriculum strength, reading foundations, and the quality of teaching and assessment.

The latest Ofsted inspection (17 and 18 October 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding for personal development.

The report content points to pupils achieving well where the curriculum is clearly sequenced and regularly checked, and it highlights reading and phonics as central, supported by well-trained staff. At the same time, it flags that in a small number of foundation subjects the curriculum does not yet set out vocabulary and knowledge precisely enough for staff to check what pupils have retained and to pinpoint next steps accurately.

For parents, the practical implication is this: if you value a school that is confident about early reading and is actively refining the “wider curriculum” detail rather than treating it as background noise, the direction of travel looks sensible. If you want a school where every foundation subject is already tightly mapped and tested year on year, this is an area to probe during a visit or an open event.

If you are comparing several nearby schools, it is worth using FindMySchool’s Local Hub Comparison Tool to line up what is publicly reported side by side, then focus your visits on the differences in curriculum sequencing, reading practice, and pastoral routines.

The curriculum narrative centres on “bringing learning to life”, with practical tasks, outdoor sessions, and purposeful talk as recurring levers.

Example

a strong oracy focus.

Evidence

the inspection report describes a “strong focus on oracy” running from early years through to Year 4, with teaching that checks understanding frequently and introduces new concepts clearly where curriculum sequencing is well defined.

Implication

in a small school, this can translate into pupils who are comfortable explaining thinking, asking questions, and using vocabulary accurately, a real advantage when moving into larger junior or middle school settings where confident communication can be the difference between quietly coping and actively thriving.

Outdoor learning is particularly structured here. Forest School is weekly for all classes, described as “come rain or shine”, and is tied back to curriculum areas including Geography fieldwork and links into subjects such as English, Mathematics, Design and Technology, and History.

Mindfulness is presented as more than a one-off wellbeing day. Weekly lessons were introduced in September 2019, led by a specialist practitioner, and staff have taken part to embed a consistent approach across the school. Workshops then reinforce the learning across the year.

This is a first school, with pupils leaving at the end of Year 4. The next step is usually a junior or middle school route, depending on local arrangements, and the practical detail to confirm is how transition is handled for the specific receiving schools your child is likely to attend.

Because next destinations are shaped heavily by home address and local authority planning, the most useful move is to check the current options through Hertfordshire County Council and then ask the school how it supports transition in Year 4, particularly around curriculum continuity, friendship group moves, and pastoral handover.

A small first school can prepare pupils well for a larger setting by building independence early: carrying responsibility for routines, using talk to resolve low-level issues, and getting used to adults who expect self-management. That aligns with the reported culture of pupils taking an active role and being involved in shaping parts of school life such as outdoor play activities.

Admissions are coordinated by Hertfordshire, and the school’s PAN is 14 pupils per year group.

Demand looks high relative to the number of places. For the most recently reported intake route, there were 41 applications for 14 offers, which equates to about 2.93 applications per place. That is consistent with an oversubscribed picture, and it means families should treat admission as competitive rather than routine.

For September 2026 Reception entry in Hertfordshire, the coordinated timeline is:

• Applications open: 3 November 2025

• Deadline for on-time applications: 15 January 2026

• National allocation day: 16 April 2026

• Deadline to accept the offered place: 23 April 2026

Schools typically run open events in November and December, although exact dates vary, and the safest approach is to use the school’s published calendar or enquire directly.

If you are relying on distance, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your measured distance precisely. Even small differences can matter in a low-PAN school.

Personal development is a standout strength in the latest inspection outcomes, and the details behind that matter more than the label.

The school positions wellbeing as a routine practice rather than a reactive service. Weekly mindfulness lessons (introduced in September 2019) are a concrete example: pupils are taught techniques such as breathing and ways to recognise thoughts and feelings, and staff participation is intended to normalise the language and strategies across the school day.

Safeguarding is treated as operationally central, not just a policy file. The School Day guidance is explicit about controlled handover at collection and about the office being the first point of contact for changes, which is exactly the kind of procedural clarity that protects children in small settings where informal arrangements can otherwise creep in.

Inspectors also found safeguarding to be effective.

In a school with only a few dozen pupils, extracurricular breadth looks different. The goal is not an endless menu; it is meaningful participation and opportunities that feel “real” rather than tokenistic.

The inspection report points to an “extensive range” of activities and gives specific examples including pottery, gardening, cookery and sport, alongside pupils taking an active role in the local community through a GAP project that connects different generations.

Forest School provides another layer of enrichment because it is both practical and cumulative. Pupils build dens, cook around a campfire, learn tool use safely, and take on projects such as the Big School Birdwatch linked to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Wraparound and clubs are clearly structured:

• Rise & Shine Club runs from 7:45am to 8:40am, with activities such as crafts, board games, jewellery making, team games, and scooting. The listed fee is £4.25 per session.

• After-school clubs run 3:15pm to 4:15pm Monday to Thursday each half term, with examples including Performing Arts, Football, Story Meadow, Craft Club, and a Sports Club.

The implication for families is straightforward. If you need dependable daily childcare beyond 4:15pm, you will want to clarify what is available locally. If you value early-morning cover and structured enrichment, the current offer is more promising than many small schools can manage.

The school day starts with the gate opening at 8:40am and registers at 8:45am. The day ends at 3:10pm for Reception and 3:15pm for Years 1 to 4. Break is typically 10:30am to 10:50am, and lunchtime is 12:00pm to 1:00pm.

Wraparound care is available in the morning via Rise & Shine Club (7:45am to 8:40am). After school, clubs operate until 4:15pm on weekdays, but the published information describes these as activity clubs rather than a full after-school care programme, so families who need later cover should check current arrangements directly.

For transport and logistics, this is a village setting, so routines tend to rely on family travel patterns. The best practical step is to sanity-check your commute at drop-off and pick-up times, especially if you are balancing multiple children across different sites.

• Limited places by design. With a PAN of 14 and an oversubscribed picture, the constraint is not educational quality; it is securing entry. Plan on applying early and using the county timeline carefully.

• Wraparound may not suit every working pattern. Morning provision is clear and priced; after-school provision is club-based and finishes at 4:15pm. If you need later, guaranteed childcare, you may need a separate plan.

• Curriculum refinement still in progress in a few subjects. The latest inspection highlights that some foundation subjects need sharper sequencing of vocabulary and knowledge so assessment can be more precise. Families who care strongly about breadth should ask what has changed since October 2023.

• First school transition at Year 4. This model suits many children, but it does mean a change of school earlier than the more common Year 6 move. Ask about how transition is supported and which routes are most typical for local families.

This is a small, high-touch first school that puts practical learning, outdoor education, and personal development at the centre of the experience. The October 2023 inspection profile supports that, with personal development a clear strength and a broadly good-quality education, alongside a defined improvement focus in parts of the foundation curriculum.

Best suited to families who want a village-scale school, value weekly Forest School and a structured approach to wellbeing, and are comfortable with the first-school model that moves children on after Year 4. The main challenge is admission, because places are limited and demand is strong.