Harpenden Academy, Harpenden
Harpenden Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Harpenden, part of Scholars' Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 10 schools in Harpenden with published results, and 3,012th of 14,452 across England. It was 51% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 27 Oct 2026
Harpenden Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 91% of Year 6 pupils at Harpenden Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 88% in reading and 94% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Harpenden Academy
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put Harpenden Academy as their first choice and 105 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Harpenden Academy are St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 100% reading, 95% maths); St Dominic Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles); Crabtree Infants' School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); and Crabtree Junior School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 88% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Harpenden Academy.
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary SchoolSt Dominic Catholic Primary SchoolCrabtree Infants' SchoolCrabtree Junior School
The trust
Harpenden Academy is one of 13 schools run by Scholars' Education Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
105 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Harpenden Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 72% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (72%).
Who goes there
5.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 21 pupils (9.7%) received SEN support and 6 (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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Harpenden Academy had 14 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 180 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
19 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harpenden Railway Station, 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Harpenden Academy stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Harpenden Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Harpenden Academy are St George's School (0.5 miles), Sir John Lawes School (0.6 miles), Roundwood Park School (0.9 miles) and Katherine Warington School (1 mile).
St George's SchoolSir John Lawes SchoolRoundwood Park SchoolKatherine Warington School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Harpenden Academy excels at creating a supportive, inclusive environment where every child feels valued and can succeed. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to adapt learning for all pupils, including those with additional needs, ensuring everyone can access the curriculum and make progress. The school builds confident, resilient learners through a rich curriculum that celebrates diversity and prepares pupils well for life beyond primary school.
Key Strengths
- Strong foundations in reading, writing and mathematics with a vibrant reading culture and diverse texts
- Excellent behaviour with pupils being polite, respectful and highly motivated to learn
- Tailored support for pupils with SEND and those learning English as an additional language, ensuring they thrive alongside classmates
- Teachers' deep subject expertise and strong understanding of pupils enables effective differentiation and retention of key knowledge
- Celebration of diversity through meaningful discussions, themed events and curriculum exploration of historical figures
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Educational trips, residential trips, leadership roles, performances, before- and after-school club
Harpenden Academy provides a nurturing and vibrant environment where pupils develop exceptional foundations for learning, with strong academic excellence and personal growth. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection in 2019.
At a Glance
5.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
105 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 91% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 94% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 82% to 88% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.9
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
32.0
KS2
7
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Harpenden Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Harpenden Academy.
- FizzBug Holiday Club @ Harpenden Leisure Centre300m away · Not yet graded
- Team Horizon Holiday Camp - Harpenden.320m away · Not yet graded
- The Little Gym Harpenden670m away · Not yet graded
- Club Excel @ St Hilda's Harpenden810m away · Not yet graded
- FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior School850m away · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Harpenden920m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Harpenden Academy is a free school, 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 Harpenden Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Harpenden Academy 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
- 33
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 28 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
8 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 Harpenden Academy
Will you get a place at Harpenden Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Harpenden Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Harpenden Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Harpenden Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Harpenden Academy for 2017 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
51%
Available places
216 pupils
420 places
204 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
21
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
12.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
216
Total Pupils
97
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,517
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,153
Per pupil
£1204k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.9%
Overall absence
5.6%
Persistent absence
196
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 Harpenden Academy
What are SATs results like at Harpenden Academy?
Of the pupils at Harpenden Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 91% reached the expected standard in reading and 81% did so in maths.
What is Harpenden Academy's Ofsted rating?
Harpenden Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Harpenden Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Harpenden Academy is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Harpenden Academy?
Harpenden Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 51% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Harpenden Academy?
Classes at Harpenden Academy average 30.9 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Harpenden Academy?
Harpenden Academy has around 216 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Harpenden Academy?
3.9% of sessions were missed at Harpenden Academy in 2024/25. 5.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Harpenden Academy?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Harpenden Academy 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 Harpenden Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 6 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Harpenden Academy: FizzBug Holiday Club @ Harpenden Leisure Centre (300m away, registered, not yet graded), Team Horizon Holiday Camp - Harpenden. (320m away, registered, not yet graded) and The Little Gym Harpenden (670m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Harpenden Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 28 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 8 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 Harpenden Academy?
Harpenden Academy is at 25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)