Crabtree Infants' School, Harpenden
Crabtree Infants' School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Harpenden, part of Ivy Learning Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Crabtree Infants' School in detail
Getting a place at Crabtree Infants' School
For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Crabtree Infants' School as their first choice and 255 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 17 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Crabtree Infants' School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Crabtree Infants' School are Crabtree Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 88% maths); High Beeches Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 98% reading, 95% maths); St Dominic Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles); and The Grove Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 91% reading, 86% maths).
Crabtree Junior SchoolHigh Beeches Primary SchoolSt Dominic Catholic Primary SchoolThe Grove Junior School
The trust
Crabtree Infants' School is one of 17 schools run by Ivy Learning Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
1.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 10 pupils (5.6%) received SEN support and 5 (2.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Staffing
Crabtree Infants' School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harpenden Rail Station, about 720 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Tylers (near), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Crabtree Infants' School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Crabtree Infants' School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Crabtree Infants' School are Sir John Lawes School (0.5 miles), Katherine Warington School (0.6 miles), St George's School (0.7 miles) and Roundwood Park School (1.4 miles).
Sir John Lawes SchoolKatherine Warington SchoolSt George's SchoolRoundwood Park School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
1.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Crabtree Infants' School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Crabtree Infants' School.
- FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Fizzbug @ The Grove Junior School850m away · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Harpenden850m away · Not yet graded
- Barracudas - Harpenden850m away · Not yet graded
- FizzBug @ Grove Infant School900m away · Not yet graded
- Cascade Camps at Katherine Warington School970m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Crabtree Infants' School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Crabtree Infants' School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Crabtree Infants' School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Crabtree Infants' School
Will you get a place at Crabtree Infants' School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Crabtree Infants' School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Crabtree Infants' School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Crabtree Infants' School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Crabtree Infants' School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
180 pupils
180 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Harpenden
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Harpenden
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
10
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
8.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
178
Total Pupils
88
Boys
90
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
14.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£58,719
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,259
Per pupil
£1044k
Total funding
£5k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.8%
Overall absence
1.6%
Persistent absence
123
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Crabtree Infants' School
What is Crabtree Infants' School's Ofsted rating?
Crabtree Infants' School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for Crabtree Infants' School?
No fixed boundary. When Crabtree Infants' School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Crabtree Infants' School?
Crabtree Infants' School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Crabtree Infants' School?
Classes at Crabtree Infants' School average 29.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Crabtree Infants' School?
Crabtree Infants' School has around 178 pupils on roll. 2% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Crabtree Infants' School?
2.8% of sessions were missed at Crabtree Infants' School in 2024/25. 1.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Crabtree Infants' School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Crabtree Infants' School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Crabtree Infants' School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior School (registered, not yet graded). There are 5 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Crabtree Infants' School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Crabtree Infants' School?
Crabtree Infants' School is at Crabtree Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 5PU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)