Samuel Lucas Primary School
Primary · Community school · Mixed · Hertfordshire
Gaping Lane, Hitchin, SG5 2JQ
70
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Outstanding
Graded 03/10/2023
Application demand
67%
1st preference success · Oversubscribed
Attendance
95.7%
7.1% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
416
Capacity used
Nearly full99%
420 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
67%
1st preference success rate
59 of 88 families who put it first got an offer
59
Places offered
228
Total applications
3.9
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 88 | 59 | ● 67% |
| 2nd preference | 61 | 0 | ● 0% |
| 3rd preference | 55 | 0 | ● 0% |
| 4th preference | 24 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 228 | 59 | 26% |
1st preference success by year
Hertfordshire lets families list 4 preferences. 5 applications came from outside the council area (0 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Last distance offered
From Hertfordshire council's allocation report on offer day. It changes every year, so treat it as a guide.
September 2026 entry
1.32 km
Furthest child offered under "Not Nearest School"
216 applications · 60 places · 60 offered
| Children Looked After Or Previously Looked After | 1 |
| Siblings | 16 |
| Nearest School | 27 |
| Not Nearest School | 15 |
September 2025 entry
628 m
Furthest child offered under "Not Nearest School"
232 applications · 60 places · 60 offered
| Children Looked After Or Previously Looked After | 1 |
| Siblings | 21 |
| Nearest School | 33 |
| Not Nearest School | 4 |
Currently available for Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Enfield schools, from council allocation reports. Distances are straight-line from home to school.
Details
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Helen Brind
- Address
- Gaping Lane, Hitchin, SG5 2JQ
- Phone
- 01462456737
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward / constituency
- Hitchin Oughton · Hitchin
- Area
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 117337
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 6% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 10% | — | — |
| SEN support | 10% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 1 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
416 pupils · 420 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 23
03 October 2023
Full graded inspection
Outstanding overall effectivenessEarly years Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Quality of education Outstanding Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 367 pupils
Attendance
95.7%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
4.3%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
7.1%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
1.4%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
0.8%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 70% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 15% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 75% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 25% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1.3 km — based on the last distance offered, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Hertfordshire council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.