Harpenden’s state schools get better results than almost every town in England
In reading, writing and maths together, 79% of Harpenden’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, above both Hertfordshire’s towns (64%) and towns in England (62%). 18 state-funded schools are located in Harpenden’s built-up area. Harpenden grades A+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #1 of 50 in Hertfordshire. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Harpenden’s secondary results beat 98% of English towns; its primary results beat 98%. 79% of the large town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 63% across Hertfordshire. The spread between primaries is wide: 88% at Manland Primary School, 51% at Sauncey Wood Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Popular schools are full
6 of 15 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as their official capacity, including Roundwood Park and Sir John Lawes among the secondaries. A full school gives places by its admissions rules, usually by distance after siblings. Getting a place ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Harpenden grades A+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (79% meet the standard)Better than 98% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (60 and 72%)Better than 98% of towns in England
Each of Harpenden’s 11 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Harpenden’s 4 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolHertfordshire’s average school
The primary figure: 11 primaries in the town, 1,497 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 4 secondaries in the town, 747 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Harpenden’s 18 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Harpenden’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table. The 4 secondaries are named.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 1% at Crabtree Junior School to 22% at Sauncey Wood Primary School. Against schools with the same intake, Manland Primary School does best: 88% with 3% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 68%. 10 of 11 primaries and 3 of 4 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Harpenden
Hertfordshire County Council handles applications for every state school in Harpenden, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 3 of Harpenden’s 17 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 6 schools are at or over it.
Roundwood Park121%
Sir John Lawes114%
Wood End102%
The Lea incl. nursery101%
Crabtree Junior100%
High Beeches100%
Roundwood incl. nursery100%
Crabtree Infants'99%
The Grove Junior97%
Manland97%
Show all 15 schools
St Nicholas97%
St Dominic incl. nursery97%
St George's96%
The Grove Infant incl. nursery90%
Sauncey Wood70%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
18 state schools in Harpenden
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Harpenden’s schoolsA13B1C1D03 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 7Good 1Report card 1Ungraded inspection only 9
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Harpenden’s 18 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Scholars' Education TrustSir John Lawes, Harpenden
Hertfordshire County CouncilWood End, High Beeches, The Grove Junior, Roundwood, The Grove Infant, The Lea, Manland, St Nicholas, Sauncey Wood, Batford Nursery
10
2,619
A+AAA−AA+AC−
After 16
Where Harpenden’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Harpenden has its own sixth form. The nearest college is Oaklands College, a further-education college 5.1 miles away.
Harpenden’s schools are graded at least as well as any neighbour’s. Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Harpenden: 19% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Harpenden
Are schools in Harpenden good?
Harpenden’s state schools earn an A+ against schools across England: primary results beat 98% of towns in England; secondary results beat 98% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Hertfordshire council.
What is the best secondary school in Harpenden?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, St George's School: Attainment 8 of 65.6 and 85% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Harpenden?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Manland Primary School: 88% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Harpenden secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, all 4 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Harpenden?
Through Hertfordshire County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Harpenden are full?
6 of 15 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Harpenden?
18 open state-funded schools are located in Harpenden’s built-up area: 13 primary, 4 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
