Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. They inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

Ofsted’s role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training and care services in England do so to a high standard for children and students.

Since the year 2000, Abel Smith has had five inspections and the most recent was in 2024. You can see the last  inspection reports below.

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I am absolutely delighted to share with you that, following our recent Ofsted inspection, Abel Smith has been graded ‘Outstanding’ in all areas. The full report can be found below.

There are no identified areas for improvement. This is a tremendous achievement, and I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to our entire school community. The inspectors recognised the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and the support from you, our parents and carers. The report highlights our school’s high standards in teaching, the excellent behaviour of our children, and our commitment to creating a nurturing, safe, and stimulating learning environment, where all children are valued and included.

Ofsted reports are always succinct, so in additional to our final report, we would like to share some of our favourite quotes from our final feedback meeting, where the inspectors spoke passionately about our school:

• We can’t express enough how much children love this school. The children love to come to school. They know the school is the best.
• Leaders are constantly reviewing how they can improve and I don’t think we can state that enough. Leaders continuously review what is already an exceptional provision.
• School's approach has a rigour. This is seen in all places, in all the classes, in all the subjects.
• It is clear that there is no ceiling put on learning.
• The leadership of Early Years is ambitious, aspirational and thorough. Nothing is left to chance. The leader aims to create awe and wonder and a love of learning.
• Teachers have high expectations and it is clear these are insisted on over time. It is apparent how consistent the approaches are.
• Personal development is a passion and a priority for leaders.
• Leaders take every opportunity to broaden pupils’ horizons. They are the only school in Hertford to make links with the French twinned town Evron.
• Outdoor learning is a priority for the school. The school has strengthened the Forest School approach. This sets it apart from the rest.
• Parents on the gate felt that the school had made a significant difference to the lives of their children.

This Outstanding grade reflects the collaborative effort of everyone involved in the school – from our hardworking staff, to our wonderful pupils, and, of course, your continued support and partnership in your children’s education. This is a complete team effort.

We are incredibly proud of this achievement, but our journey does not stop here. We will continue to build on our success and ensure that our school remains a place where every child thrives and reaches their full potential.

Nicola Law

Headteacher

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, most exams and assessments did not take place in 2019/20 or 2020/21. As a result of this, the government announced that it would not publish school or college level results data in autumn 2020 or autumn 2021. Please see the link below for the school performance data published by the Department for Education.

School Performance Data