Brookland Junior School, Waltham Cross Review 2026: Strong KS2 outcomes, clear values, and a settled junior phase

A junior school lives or dies by how well it handles transition into Key Stage 2. Brookland Junior School starts at Year 3 and has to build confidence, routines, and academic momentum quickly. The evidence suggests it does that job well. In 2024, 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 62%.

Results sit above England average overall, and the finer detail is encouraging too: strong reading outcomes, high proportions reaching expected standards across subjects, and a meaningful share working at higher standard. Add an established set of values and structured wraparound care, and you get a school that is straightforward to understand, and practical for working families.

The school’s public-facing identity is unusually consistent, from leadership messages to day-to-day expectations. The values are set out clearly as Be Kind, Be Respectful, Be the Best you can be, and they appear as more than a slogan. They are used as a common language for behaviour and relationships, which matters in a Year 3 entry school where pupils arrive from different starting points and need a shared routine quickly.

Leadership is also a defined feature of the current phase. Mrs Mandeep Barton is the headteacher, having taken up post in September 2021, with an executive headteacher role described on the school site and a head of school role for the junior phase. That structure can work particularly well in federations, provided responsibilities are clear, because it keeps decision-making close to the pupils while also creating continuity across the broader organisation.

There is also a strong rights and participation thread. The school holds UNICEF Rights Respecting School gold recognition, and play is treated as a purposeful part of development through OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). For parents, that combination often translates into a calmer lunchtime experience, fewer low-level behaviour issues, and more children who can articulate feelings and resolve minor disputes appropriately. It also matters academically because a well-run social environment protects learning time.

Brookland’s headline Key Stage 2 results are strong. In 2024, 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, above the England average of 62%.

The subject breakdown supports that picture:

• Reading expected standard: 91%

• Mathematics expected standard: 85%

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling expected standard: 89%

• Science expected standard: 85%

Where the school stands out is the share working at higher standard in the combined measure. In 2024, 24.67% reached the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with an England average of 8%. That is a meaningful indicator that higher prior attainers are being stretched, not just carried to the expected threshold.

FindMySchool’s ranking data, based on official results, places the school 2,766th in England for primary outcomes, and 2nd locally in the Waltham Cross area. That sits comfortably within the top quarter of schools in England.

Scaled scores add texture. In 2024, reading was 108, mathematics 106, and grammar, punctuation and spelling 108. These figures support the broader view that pupils are leaving Year 6 with secure core skills.

The curriculum narrative is one of ambition and consistency in the essentials, with ongoing work in a smaller number of foundation areas. The reading curriculum is designed around quality texts and intentional links across subjects. One example given is the way Year 6 reading choices support deeper historical understanding, with English texts used to build knowledge for history content.

Spelling and vocabulary development are treated as systematic, not incidental. Pupils are taught strategies such as using word roots to unlock meaning, a small detail that often signals a deliberate approach to literacy rather than relying on natural confidence.

Mathematics is also described as consistently delivered across the school, which aligns with the outcome profile. When maths is strong at junior level, it typically rests on clear lesson structure, deliberate practice, and effective checking of understanding. The current evidence points in that direction.

The key improvement thread is challenge and pitch. There are times when pupils who are ready to move on are not identified quickly enough, which can make some tasks too easy. For families with high prior attainment, that translates into a practical question to ask: how does the school ensure depth, and what does extension look like beyond finishing quickly.

Finally, the wider curriculum includes Spanish, with subject information presented as a defined part of the offer. This matters because for many pupils, Key Stage 2 is where confidence in languages begins or ends. A junior school that treats languages as real curriculum, not an occasional activity, usually sets up a smoother transition to Year 7 expectations.

As a junior school, Brookland’s core destination is secondary transfer at the end of Year 6. The practical reality is that pupils will typically move on through Hertfordshire’s coordinated admissions process, either into a local comprehensive secondary option or, for a smaller number, into selective or out-of-area routes depending on family preference and eligibility.

What Brookland can directly influence is transition readiness. The school’s Year 6 experience includes a mix of academic consolidation and wider personal development activities, including a residential (PGL) and curriculum-linked trips that build independence, confidence with new environments, and group responsibility. Those experiences often make the first half-term of Year 7 less daunting, particularly for pupils who have not previously travelled far for school activities.

There is also evidence of structured work around safety and community roles, for example through visits connected to Crucial Crew themes. For parents, that can be a better predictor of successful secondary transition than any single Year 6 grade, because it is about executive function, self-management, and the ability to ask for help.

This is a community junior school with a Published Admission Number of 60. Entry is primarily into Year 3, meaning families at the linked infant school route are central to how places are allocated.

Applications to start in September 2026 follow Hertfordshire’s primary, junior and middle school timeline. The online system opened on 3 November 2025, with the on time deadline on 15 January 2026. Offers are released on 16 April 2026, and the acceptance deadline is 23 April 2026.

Oversubscription follows Hertfordshire’s published criteria for community and voluntary controlled schools for 2026 to 2027. The order prioritises, in sequence: children looked after or previously looked after; medical or social need; linked infant school; sibling; nearest school; then distance. For Brookland specifically, the linked school rule is significant because Brookland Infant and Nursery School is named as the linked infant school for Brookland Junior School.

Demand has varied. Hertfordshire’s directory data shows 67 applications for 60 places in 2024, and 92 applications for 60 places in 2025. That difference is important because it shows how quickly the experience can shift between a moderately pressured year and a much more competitive one.

Allocation detail also clarifies what drives outcomes. In 2025, offers recorded under the linked infant school rule accounted for the bulk of places, meaning most successful applicants were coming through that route rather than distance competition. In 2024, the directory records the distance of the furthest child admitted as 850.13 metres. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

Parents weighing a move should use FindMySchoolMap Search to sanity-check travel practicality and to avoid relying on a single year’s allocation pattern.

Pupils report feeling safe and having several trusted adults to speak to if they have concerns. Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Wellbeing support is visible in staffing as well as policy. The school lists a school counsellor among the team, which is still not universal in junior schools. Combined with the rights-respecting approach and explicit work on positive mental health strategies, it suggests that emotional literacy is taken seriously rather than treated as an add-on.

For pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, the broad message is inclusion with skilled adult support in class so pupils can access learning confidently, particularly in reading. Parents of children needing support should still ask the practical questions that matter most: what interventions look like at Year 3 entry, how progress is tracked, and what the communication loop with families feels like in the first term.

The extracurricular offer sits across three strands: clubs, enrichment visits, and the deliberate use of play and participation as development tools.

Clubs are described as a regular feature, with lunchtime and after school activities forming part of the routine. On any given week, the public calendar shows sport and creative options such as football sessions, netball, and art club. That mix matters because it gives different types of pupils a chance to feel recognised: sporty children, creative children, and those who simply want a structured social space after the bell.

Trips and experiences are also used to deepen the curriculum and build cultural capital. Year 5 includes swimming sessions and a visit to the British Museum to support curriculum learning. Year 6 includes a PGL residential, a Transport Museum visit linked to the Windrush generation, and learning at Cheshunt Football Stadium connected to safety and community roles. These are not just nice-to-haves. In Key Stage 2, this kind of structured enrichment often improves writing quality because pupils have real experiences to draw on, and it can lift engagement for pupils who learn best through context.

Finally, OPAL gives a particular flavour to playtime. The stated aim is to improve the quality of play opportunities for all children, with play framed as essential for physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. For families, this often shows up in fewer friendship fallouts that dominate evenings and weekends, and a more settled approach to social problem-solving.

The school day timings are clearly set out. Classroom doors open at 8.40am, registration begins at 8.45am, and the school day ends at 3.10pm.

Wraparound care is available on site for pupils who attend the school. SunRise runs from 7.45am on weekdays in term time, and SunSet runs from 3.10pm to 6pm. Charges are published as £4 per day for SunRise and £10 per day for SunSet.

For travel and access, the school’s accessibility documentation indicates that classrooms are wheelchair accessible, a portable ramp is available, and parking arrangements include disabled bays. For day-to-day drop-off, families should expect the usual pressures of a residential road at peak times and follow the school’s guidance on safe pedestrian routes.

• Year 3 entry reality. Because this is a junior school, the key admission moment is Year 3 rather than Reception. Families not in the linked infant route should read the oversubscription order carefully, because the linked school rule can dominate allocations in some years.

• Competition fluctuates. Applications ranged from 67 (for 60 places) in 2024 to 92 (for 60 places) in 2025. That kind of swing can change the odds materially year to year.

• Stretch for higher attainers needs watching. There are occasions when pupils ready for more complex work are not moved on quickly enough, which can leave some tasks feeling too easy. Parents of high prior attainers should ask how challenge is built in across subjects, not just in reading and maths.

• Subject leadership depth is still developing in places. Some foundation areas have newer leadership and are not as embedded as the strongest parts of the curriculum. That is common after staffing change, but it is still worth asking about consistency in the subjects your child loves most.

Brookland Junior School looks like a well-run junior phase with clear expectations, strong Key Stage 2 outcomes, and a positive approach to rights, play, and wellbeing. It suits families who want a structured Year 3 to Year 6 experience with high literacy and maths expectations, plus practical wraparound care for working days. The main challenge is admission timing and route, especially for families outside the linked infant pathway.