The Grove Academy

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 3–11 · Watford, 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)

0.44

0.55

0.42

0.45

0.36

0.38

0.53

0.54

20192020202120222023202420252026

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The Grove Academy is a primary school in Watford, Hertfordshire for ages 3–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 20 May 2025. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.

The Grove Academy 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	0.53 mi
Reception 2024	0.38 mi
Reception 2023	0.36 mi
Reception 2022	0.45 mi
Reception 2021	0.42 mi
Reception 2020	0.55 mi
Reception 2019	0.44 mi
Reception 2018	0.39 mi
Reception 2017	0.48 mi
Reception 2016	0.47 mi
Reception 2015	0.51 mi

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

What the figures show

In 2024/25, 64% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), while 0% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
Reception 2026 had 55 first-choice applications for 59 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 4 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
In 2026 the last Reception offer under one of its admission criteria went to a child living 0.54 miles away, about the same as in 2025 and 2015.
30.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 17.9% across the 8 nearest primary schools in Hertfordshire.

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: Fourth Avenue, Watford, WD25 9RH
Type: Academy sponsor led
Phase: Primary
Ages: 3–11
Council: Hertfordshire
Pupils on roll: 473 January 2026 school census
Free school meals: 30.2% of pupils eligible
Pupils per teacher: 19.1

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

Ofsted

Not judged Inspected 20 May 2025

Strengths

“Pupils are greeted each day with welcoming smiles and waves from their friends and staff.”
“Warm relationships sit at the heart of the school.”
“Pupils delight in celebrating the differences between themselves and others.”

To improve

“Across some other subjects, there are times when pupils do not have the opportunity to recap and revise some important knowledge.”
“This means that they do not develop such a rich and connected knowledge in these aspects of the curriculum.”
“A small number of pupils though, are not provided with sufficient opportunity to apply and practice what they learn in phonics to their writing.”

Safeguarding: Effective

Quoted from the Ofsted report published 23 June 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Exam results

Measure	School	England
Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25)	64%	62%

Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Applications and offers

2026 Reception entry: 55 first-preference applications, 59 offers in total, 55 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.

Parkgate Infants' and Nursery School 0.4 mi School remains Good Last distance published
Parkgate Junior School 0.7 mi School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next
Cherry Tree Primary School 0.8 mi Good Last distance published
Coates Way JMI and Nursery School 0.8 mi Not judged Last distance published
Knutsford Primary Academy 0.9 mi Good Last distance published
St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School 0.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
Kingsway Junior School 0.9 mi Good
Kingsway Infants' School 1.0 mi School remains Good Last distance published