Garden City Academy
Radburn Way, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 2JZOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Garden City Academy is a primary school in Letchworth Garden City for ages 2 to 11. It is one of the 583 schools in Hertfordshire. It ranks 4th of 7 primary schools in Letchworth Garden City. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in October 2018.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 9 October 2018, report published 1 November 2018
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 5 June 2024
Garden City Academy is a happy school. Pupils speak proudly of the 'GCA way'. They say confidently that, 'This is the way we do it here.' They respond well to the school's high expectations of their behaviour and achievement. In the Nursery and Reception classes, children settle into routines quickly. They learn to share and to take turns with the supportive guidance from adults. Pupils of all ages enjoy rhymes, stories and reading. Break and lunchtimes are sociable events. Pupils play and dance to music, together with school staff as well as with their peers. Staff are kind and helpful if pupils worry. Pupils like the access to the range of experiences beyond the classroom, including the highly valued '11 before 11' opportunities, such as 'sleeping under the stars', hiking and the residential trip to France. In-school elections for pupil parliament representatives are competitive and taken seriously. Parliament members serve their school community very well. Ideas, such as for increased sustainability and the 'diversity diner', which celebrates different cultures, are carefully thought out and effectively implemented. Pupils are typically well prepared to move into secondary education at the end of Year 6.
What the school should improve
- A period of significant staffing changes has disrupted plans to embed improvements to leaders' ambitious curriculum in a few subjects. New subject leaders are still developing their skills in checking the quality of provision in their areas of responsibility. As a result, there is sometimes a mismatch between the planned learning and the activities teachers set. Where this happens, pupils do not learn as much as they could. The school should ensure that any further staff training should be completed quickly, so that pupils achieve well in all aspects of their learning.
- Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This limits the learning of these pupils, and they miss the range of wider opportunities available to them. The school should continue to strengthen its efforts to secure the regular attendance of all pupils.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
23 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
215 pupils on roll, with places for 210
Schools near Garden City Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixmore Junior School | 0.6 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 30% met the expected standard |
| Hillshott Infant School and Nursery | 0.6 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | Not published |
| Lordship Farm Primary School | 0.8 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | 64% met the expected standard |
| St Mary's Junior Mixed School | 0.8 miles | Ofsted: Good | 35% met the expected standard |
| St Mary's Infants' School | 0.9 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST
- Age range
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mrs Samantha Ruck
- Phone
- 01462621800
- Address
- Radburn Way, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 2JZ
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- URN
- 138389
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.