Layston Church of England First School

Primary · Voluntary controlled school · Ages 5–9 · Buntingford, Hertfordshire

Last distance offered · Reception 2026

0.54 miles

Nearest School · Published by Hertfordshire County Council · offers on 16 April 2026

Reception last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)

0.66

0.11

0.72

0.78

0.87

0.61

0.55

0.54

20192020202120222023202420252026

Unlock every school · £9.99 Open on the map →

Layston Church of England First School is a primary school in Buntingford, Hertfordshire for ages 5–9 (voluntary controlled school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Requires improvement, from the inspection on 31 October 2023. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.

Layston Church of England First School catchment area: last distance offered

Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.

Entry	Last distance offered
Reception 2026	0.54 mi
Reception 2025	0.55 mi
Reception 2024	0.61 mi
Reception 2023	0.87 mi
Reception 2022	0.78 mi
Reception 2021	0.72 mi
Reception 2020	0.11 mi
Reception 2019	0.66 mi
Reception 2018	0.63 mi
Reception 2017	0.71 mi
Reception 2016	0.36 mi
Reception 2015	1.53 mi

What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment

What the figures show

For Reception 2026, the last place offered to a child for whom this was the nearest school went to one living 0.54 miles away, about the same as in 2025.
The 2026 Reception last distance was nearer than in 2015, and it swung sharply between some years, most of all from 2020 to 2021.
For Reception in 2026 there were 8 first-choice applications for 9 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 1 offer went to a family who ranked it second or lower.
There are 23 pupils per teacher; the middle figure across the 8 nearest primary schools in Hertfordshire is 13.3.

Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Hertfordshire schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.

Key facts

Address: The Causeway, Buntingford, SG9 9EU
Type: Voluntary controlled school
Phase: Primary
Ages: 5–9
Religious character: Church of England
Council: Hertfordshire
Pupils on roll: 124 January 2026 school census
Free school meals: 21.8% of pupils eligible
Pupils per teacher: 23

Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026

Ofsted

Requires improvement Inspected 31 October 2023

Strengths

“Pupils are starting to benefit from the recent improvements leaders have made to the school.”
“Pupils, including the increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well-cared for and safe.”
“Across the school, pupils learn in calm and orderly classrooms.”

To improve

“However, pupils, including in early years, are not routinely set work that is precisely matched or adapted to their needs.”
“Consequently, this means that these pupils have gaps in knowledge that are not securely addressed.”
“In early years, there are missed opportunities for children to have their learning extended further.”

Safeguarding: met

Quoted from the Ofsted report published 8 September 2026 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Applications and offers

2026 Reception entry: 8 first-preference applications, 9 offers in total, 8 offers to first-preference applicants.

Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.

Nearby primary schools

Straight-line distance, in Hertfordshire.

Millfield First and Nursery School 0.5 mi Good Last distance published
Buntingford First School 0.9 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
Hormead Church of England (VA) First School 2.0 mi Good Last distance published
Anstey First School 3.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
Jenyns First School and Nursery 3.5 mi Not judged Last distance published
Barkway VA Church of England First School 3.8 mi Good Last distance published
Ardeley St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 3.9 mi Good Last distance published
Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School 4.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published