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Secondary schools in Harpenden

All 5 secondary schools in Harpenden.

5 schools in Harpenden

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  1. Sir John Lawes School

    Harpenden, AL5 4QP · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

    • Ofsted:Outstanding
    • Has a sixth form

    Results above the Harpenden average, low absence.

    259 first choices, 187 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1663.9

    Harpenden 60.0England 46.2

    Days missed
    4.2%Harpenden 6.5%
    Pupils
    1,373
    Pupils per teacher
    18.2
    View school Sir John Lawes School
  2. Roundwood Park School

    Harpenden, AL5 3AE · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

    • Ofsted:Outstanding
    • Has a sixth form

    Results close to the Harpenden average, high absence.

    219 first choices, 187 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1659.1

    Harpenden 60.0England 46.2

    Days missed
    7.7%Harpenden 6.5%
    Pupils
    1,421
    Pupils per teacher
    17.1
    View school Roundwood Park School
  3. St George's School

    Harpenden, AL5 4TD · Academy · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18

    • Ofsted:Outstanding in every area
    • Faith school
    • Has a sixth form

    Results above the Harpenden average.

    240 first choices, 177 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1665.6

    Harpenden 60.0England 46.2

    Days missed
    6.7%Harpenden 6.5%
    Pupils
    1,351
    Pupils per teacher
    16.9
    View school St George's School
  4. Katherine Warington School

    Harpenden, AL5 5FH · Secondary · Ages 11 to 19

    • Ofsted:Good
    • Has a sixth form

    Results well below the Harpenden average, high absence.

    139 first choices, 165 offers made

    Attainment 8 at 1650.6

    Harpenden 60.0England 46.2

    Days missed
    7.5%Harpenden 6.5%
    Pupils
    1,113
    Pupils per teacher
    16.6
    View school Katherine Warington School
  5. The King's School

    Harpenden, AL5 4DU · Independent · All-through · Ages 4 to 16

    • ISI:Inspected
    • Faith school
    • Has a nursery

    Independent school. Results close to the Harpenden average.

    Attainment 8 at 1658.3

    Harpenden 60.0England 46.2

    Days missed
    –Harpenden 6.5%
    Pupils
    169
    Pupils per teacher
    –
    View school The King's School
The big picture

How Harpenden's secondary schools spread out

Each dot is one school. Hover over a dot to see which school it is.

Attainment 8 at 16

Average score across each pupil's best eight GCSEs.

Harpenden 60.0England 46.2Katherine Warington School: 50.6The King's School: 58.3Roundwood Park School: 59.1Sir John Lawes School: 63.9St George's School: 65.6020406080
Secondary schools in Harpenden

Days missed

Share of school sessions pupils missed, for any reason. Lower is better.

Harpenden average 6.5%Sir John Lawes School: 4.2%St George's School: 6.7%Katherine Warington School: 7.5%Roundwood Park School: 7.7%0%4%8%12%16%
Secondary schools in Harpenden

Ofsted grades in Harpenden

The last full grade for each school Ofsted has graded. 2 newer or converted schools don't have a grade yet.

  • Outstanding: 2 of 3
  • Good: 1 of 3
  • Requires improvement: 0 of 3
  • Inadequate: 0 of 3
Before you apply

Four things worth knowing in Harpenden

  1. Some are faith schools.

    2 of the 5 secondary schools in Harpenden have a religious character. When they're full, they can put families of their faith first, so check each school's rules.

    Show schools with no religious character
  2. Apply by 31 October.

    Apply to your council in Year 6 for a Year 7 place. Offers come out on 1 March.

  3. Check how old the Ofsted grade is.

    Some grades are many years old. Each school's page shows the date of its last inspection and what's changed since.

    Show Good or Outstanding
  4. List a school you're likely to get.

    Popular schools fill up from the families who live closest. Add your postcode to see which schools are nearest, and put one of them on your form.

    Add my postcode
About these schools

Secondary schools in Harpenden, explained

There are 5 secondary schools in Harpenden, teaching 5,427 children. 0 are run by the council and 4 are academies or free schools. Among them is 1 independent school.

100% of the mainstream state schools Ofsted has graded are Good or Outstanding, against 94.8% across England. 2 of them are Outstanding, though some grades are several years old, so check the date on each school's page.

Pupils in Harpenden scored an average Attainment 8 of 60.0 across their best eight GCSEs, against 46.2 across England.

7.7% of pupils get free school meals. Schools here spend £8,466 a year on each pupil, against £8,120 across England. 17.9% of pupils are persistently absent, missing one day in ten or more, against 18.1% across England.

Looking further afield? See secondary schools near me, or everything in Harpenden.

Questions

Questions parents ask

How many secondary schools are in Harpenden?
There are 5 secondary schools in Harpenden, including state-funded, academies, and independent schools.
What are the best secondary schools in Harpenden?
The highest-ranked secondary schools in Harpenden on Eduscope are Sir John Lawes School, Roundwood Park School and St George's School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance.
How many Ofsted Outstanding secondary schools are in Harpenden?
Harpenden has 2 secondary schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted. A further 1 are rated Good, meaning 100% of inspected schools hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
How are secondary schools in Harpenden ranked on Eduscope?
Each state school gets a rank score out of 100. We place each measure as a percentile among state schools of the same phase across England, then weight them. Primary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 30%, pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 30%, pupils reaching the higher standard 10%, persistent absence (lower is better) 20%, average reading and maths scores 10%. Secondary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 25%, Attainment 8 25%, grade 5 or above in English and maths 15%, persistent absence (lower is better) 15%, pupils staying in education or work after GCSEs 10%, A level average points (sixth forms only) 10%. Results are averaged over up to three years, and an Ofsted grade older than five years counts for less. A school needs data for at least 60% of the weights. Special schools, pupil referral units, nurseries, independent schools and 16 to 19 schools aren't ranked, and are listed by Ofsted grade and name. Our methodology page explains more.
What is the average class size in Harpenden secondary schools?
The average pupil-teacher ratio across secondary schools in Harpenden is 17:1. While this is not a direct measure of class size, it indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil.
How do I choose a secondary school in Harpenden?
When choosing a secondary school in Harpenden, consider Ofsted ratings, GCSE results (Progress 8 and Attainment 8), sixth form provision, and the school's specialisms. You can compare all 5 secondary schools on Eduscope using filters for school type, gender, and admissions policy.

Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce data, Get Information About Schools and Ofsted. Distances are straight-line estimates.

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