Local area: Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside
Local authority: Hertfordshire
Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside in Hertfordshire Early years summary
Summary
Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside (E02004985) is part of Hertfordshire local authority (view on map). Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside has an approximate population of 7,000 people, of which 5.4% are children 5 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".
Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside neighbours Welwyn & Hatfield Garden Village, Knightsfield, Peartree, Hollybush, Hatfield North & West, and Hatfield East.
Headlines for early years in Hertfordshire
The data below is only available at local authority level
- 0.3% of pupils under 1 are classed as 'children looked after' in Hertfordshire compared to 0.6% nationally. This places it in the bottom 10% of areas with 'children looked after' in this age group
- 0.2% of pupils aged 1 to 4 are classed as 'children looked after' in Hertfordshire compared to 0.4% nationally. This places it in the bottom 10% of areas with 'children looked after' in this age group
Guidance and data sources
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Deprivation
Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside is the 30th least deprived area in Hertfordshire (out of 154) with 15% of children living in low-income families, compared to 26% across Hertfordshire and 38% nationally.
Provider information
Registered childcare providers
Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside has 22 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 22 |
| Childminders | 10 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 12 |
There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Summary of Ofsted findings
Summary of Ofsted findings
Inspection of Hertfordshire’s local authority children’s services
These inspections focus on the effectiveness of local authority services and arrangements:
- to help and protect children, and enable families to stay together and get the help they need
- the experiences and progress of children in care wherever they live, including those children who return home
- the arrangements for permanence for children who are looked after, in stable, loving homes, including adoption
- the experiences and progress of care leavers.
| Inspection type | Inspection start date | Overall effectiveness | Impact of leaders | Help and protection | Children in care | Care leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ILACS Short Inspection | 13 July 2026 | Not judged | Outstanding | Good | Outstanding | Good |
Area SEND inspection of Hertfordshire Local Area Partnership
The purpose of an area SEND inspection is to:
- provide an independent, external evaluation of the effectiveness of the local area partnership’s arrangements for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
- where appropriate, recommend what the local area partnership should do to improve the arrangements.
| Inspection outcome |
|---|
|
Hertfordshire was last inspected on 10 July 2023. There are widespread and/or systemic failings leading to significant concerns about the experiences and outcomes of children and young people with SEND, which the local area partnership must address urgently. The local area partnership must prepare and submit a priority area SEND action plan addressing the areas for priority action that we identified. They were given 2 areas for priority action. A monitoring inspection will be carried out within approximately 18 months. The next full area SEND inspection will be within approximately 3 years. Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask that the local area partnership updates and publishes its strategic plan based on the recommendations set out in this report. |
Joint targeted area inspection of Hertfordshire local authority
The agencies for these inspections can include the police, children’s social care, probation services, education and relevant health services. Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and childcare providers. The focus of these inspections is how effectively the local safeguarding partners work together at the practice and strategic levels.
| Theme | Inspection start date | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic abuse | 21 October 2024 | Link |
Early years population
Contents
Percentage of Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside population by age group
Table showing percentage of Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside population by age group
| % in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 5 and under | 5.4% | 6.8% | 6.4% |
| Under 1 year | 0.8% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| 1 year | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| 2 years | 0.9% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| 3 years | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 4 years | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
| 5 years | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.1% |
Local authority context
Early years pupil premium
In Hertfordshire, 4.9% of children are receiving the early years pupil premium, compared to 5.1% nationally.
Children looked after
The percentage of 'children looked after' in Hertfordshire is 0.3% for under 1 year olds and 0.2% for 1 to 4 year olds. The national average is 0.6% for under 1 year olds and 0.4% for 1 to 4 year olds.
0.3% of pupils under 1 are classed as 'children looked after' in Hertfordshire compared to 0.6% nationally. This places it in the bottom 10% of areas with 'children looked after' in this age group.
In addition,
0.2% of pupils aged 1 to 4 are classed as 'children looked after' in Hertfordshire compared to 0.4% nationally. This places it in the bottom 10% of areas with 'children looked after' in this age group.
Contents
Table showing percentage of children looked after in Hertfordshire
| Number in Hertfordshire | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children looked after (under 1 year) | 33 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Children looked after (aged 1 to 4 years) | 86 | 0.2% | 0.4% |
Percentage of children looked after in Hertfordshire
Special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded schools
This data is taken from the school census data for children aged 5 and under with special educational needs and disabilities in state-funded settings.
In Hertfordshire, 3.9% of children aged 5 and under receive SEN support in state-funded settings and 1.4% have an EHC plan, compared to 4.5% and 1.4% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
Table showing percentage of children with SEND in state-funded settings by age group
| Number in Hertfordshire | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 3,290 | 3.9% | 4.5% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 72 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (3 years) | 536 | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (4 years) | 1,152 | 7.8% | 9.2% |
| Total: SEN support in state-funded settings (5 years) | 1,530 | 10% | 12% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (age 5 and under) | 1,131 | 1.4% | 1.4% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (under 2 years) | 10 | 0% | 0% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (3 years) | 74 | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (4 years) | 375 | 2.5% | 3.1% |
| Total: EHCPs in state-funded settings (5 years) | 672 | 4.5% | 4.8% |
Education, health and care plans
This data is taken from the local authority level data for children aged 5 and under issued with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in Hertfordshire.
In Hertfordshire, 1.5% of children aged 5 and under have an EHC plan, compared to 1.6% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of children with an EHCP in Hertfordshire by age group
Table showing percentage of children with an EHCP in Hertfordshire by age group
| Number in Hertfordshire | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total: Children with an EHCP (age 5 and under) | 1,275 | 1.5% | 1.6% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (under 2 years) | 37 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (3 years) | 125 | 0.9% | 0.8% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (4 years) | 412 | 2.8% | 3.4% |
| Total: Children with an EHCP (5 years) | 701 | 4.7% | 5.0% |
Early years funded takeup
In Hertfordshire, take-up of funded early years places is 88% for 2-year-olds, 88% for 3-year-olds, and 94% for 4-year-olds, compared to 72%, 88%, and 93% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
Table showing percentage of eligible children taking up funded early years places
| Funded early years places for 2-year-olds | Number of eligible 2-year-olds | % of population aged 2 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertfordshire | 2,015 | 14% | 88% |
| National | 119,598 | 19% | 72% |
| Funded early years places for 3-year-olds | Number of eligible 3-year-olds | % of population aged 3 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertfordshire | All 3-year olds are eligible | 88% | |
| National | 88% | ||
| Funded early years places for 4-year-olds | Number of eligible 4-year-olds | % of population aged 4 | % take-up of funded places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hertfordshire | All 4-year olds are eligible | 94% | |
| National | 93% | ||
The 2-, 3-, and 4-year-old funded places tables look different because they measure different things; funded places for 2-year-olds are only for children considered to be disadvantaged, while for 3- and 4-year-olds everyone is entitled to a funded place.
Children's overweight and obesity
In Hertfordshire, 21% of reception-age children are overweight or obese, compared to 24% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
Table showing percentage of reception-age children overweight or obese
| Number in Hertfordshire | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Children's overweight and obesity (reception-age children) | 2,580 | 21% | 24% |
Oral health
In Hertfordshire, 17% of children aged 5 have visible tooth decay (oral health issues) compared to 22% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
Table showing percentage of 5-year-olds with visible tooth decay
| Number examined in Hertfordshire | % examined in Hertfordshire | % in Hertfordshire | % National | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral health (visible tooth decay in 5-year-olds) | 1,554 | 10% | 17% | 22% |