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St Dominic Catholic Primary School, HARPENDEN

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 3–11

St Dominic Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Harpenden, part of All Saints Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character.

Demand
Oversubscribed
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

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

St Dominic Catholic Primary School in detail

St Dominic Catholic Primary School in its own words

In its own words: "We are very lucky to have a committed and hard-working team at St Dominic. All the staff, regardless of their roles, are committed to raising the achievements of the children. Formed in 2016, as part of the Diocese of Westminster's Academy Strategy, we provide a collaborative structure of school support and innovation for Catholic schools in South West Hertfordshire."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are extremely proud of our school and all of our children's achievements. St Dominic is a wonderful family community. Our committed team works in partnership with parents and the wider community to provide a high quality education, giving our pupils opportunities to realise their potential and develop their full uniqueness."

Coming up: an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026 at 9.15am and an open day on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 1.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

All school open days in Hertfordshire

Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)

Source: The school's own website

Results

St Dominic Catholic Primary School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 117478), 97% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 94% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.

Getting a place at St Dominic Catholic Primary School

For September 2026 entry, 31 families put St Dominic Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 62 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

Admissions history and your chances at St Dominic Catholic Primary School

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other state primary schools to St Dominic Catholic Primary School are Harpenden Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 91% reading, 81% maths); St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 100% reading, 95% maths); Crabtree Infants' School (0.5 miles, Outstanding); and Crabtree Junior School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 88% maths).

Harpenden AcademySt Nicholas CofE VA Primary SchoolCrabtree Infants' SchoolCrabtree Junior School

The trust

St Dominic Catholic Primary School is one of 14 schools run by All Saints Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

All 14 schools in All Saints Catholic Academy Trust

Who goes there

2.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 22 pupils (9.5%) received SEN support and 4 (1.7%) 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.

Getting there

The nearest railway station is Harpenden Rail Station, about 320 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harpenden House Hotel (near), 60 metres away.

The area around the school

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Dominic Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

Secondary schools nearby

The secondary schools closest to St Dominic Catholic Primary School are St George's School (0.7 miles), Sir John Lawes School (0.8 miles), Roundwood Park School (1.1 miles) and Katherine Warington School (1.1 miles).

St George's SchoolSir John Lawes SchoolRoundwood Park SchoolKatherine Warington School

Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Lynn Wilson
Pupils:232
LA:Hertfordshire
Phone:01582760047
Address:St Dominic Catholic Primary School, Southdown Road, HARPENDEN, AL5 1PF
Trust:ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST (14 schools)
Status:open
Opened:1 June 2025

Ofsted Rating

St Dominic Catholic Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as St Dominic Catholic Primary School (URN 117478), it was rated Outstanding in November 2023.

URN:151499
UKPRN:10096969
Diocese:Archdiocese of Westminster
Constituency:Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

At a Glance

2.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

28.7

Avg class size

27.5

Infant (KS1)

30.0

KS2

6

Total classes

2025/26 academic year

Results at St Dominic Catholic Primary School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)

Academic year 2024/25

Published under the school's previous registration (URN 117478). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+4ppMaths+1ppWriting-3pp

Reading has improved from 93% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 94% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 87% (2024 to 2025).

How Does This School Compare?

Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools

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Latest from St Dominic Catholic Primary School

From St Dominic Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Social & online

Keep up with St Dominic Catholic Primary School

Before and after school care

Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Dominic Catholic Primary School.

  • The Little Gym Harpenden350m away · Not yet graded
  • FizzBug Holiday Club @ Harpenden Leisure Centre420m away · Not yet graded
  • Team Horizon Holiday Camp - Harpenden.700m away · Not yet graded
  • FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior School800m away · Not yet graded
  • Fizzbug @ The Grove Junior School990m away · Not yet graded

Term dates

St Dominic Catholic Primary 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

Harpenden Rail Station
316m · 5 min walk

Bus Stops

Harpenden House Hotel (nr)
64m · 1 min walk
Spenser Road (opp)
249m · 4 min walk
Crabtree Lane (opp)
254m · 4 min walk
The Cedars (opp)
317m · 5 min walk
Day Centre (nr)
320m · 5 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to St Dominic Catholic Primary School from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. St Dominic Catholic Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:

Safety and surroundings

Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)

Collisions
28
Fatal
0
Serious
6
Children hurt
2

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 22 slight.

2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.

6 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.

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Commute and house prices

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Your chances of a place at St Dominic Catholic Primary School

Will you get a place at St Dominic Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report

Your home postcode, set against St Dominic Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.

What the report includes for St Dominic Catholic Primary School:

  • The straight-line distance from your home to St Dominic Catholic Primary School.
  • We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
  • Applications, first choices and offers at St Dominic Catholic Primary School for 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

97%

Near capacity

232 pupils

240 places

8 spare places

as recorded on GIAS

Area Demand Pressure - HARPENDEN

High pressure
New homes approved:38
Projected new pupils:10

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for HARPENDEN

Across Hertfordshire council

Low demand council-wide0.85 applications per place

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

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

22

SEN Support

4

EHC Plans

11.2%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

Autistic Spectrum Disorder7
Specific Learning Difficulty6
Social, Emotional & Mental Health5
Speech, Language & Communication5
Moderate Learning Difficulty1
Hearing Impairment1
Other1
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
60.3%
Asian
2.2%
Black
2.2%
Mixed
13.4%
Chinese
4.7%
Other
1.3%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals2.6%
English as Additional Language14.2%

232

Total Pupils

121

Boys

111

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

11

Teachers

21.1:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

£44,591

Mean salary

2026 data

Absence at St Dominic Catholic Primary School before it took its current form in 2025
2024/25

Published under the school's previous registration (URN 117478). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.

3.3%

Overall absence

4.3%

Persistent absence

184

Enrolments

Authorised2.7%
Unauthorised0.6%
Persistent (10%+)4.3%
Severe (50%+)0.5%

Absence trend

2.7%
18/19
1.7%
20/21
4.2%
21/22
4.2%
22/23
4.0%
23/24
3.3%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Questions parents ask about St Dominic Catholic Primary School

Are there exam results for St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

St Dominic Catholic Primary School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 117478), 97% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 94% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.

What is St Dominic Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

St Dominic Catholic Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in June 2025. Before that, as St Dominic Catholic Primary School (URN 117478), it was rated Outstanding in November 2023.

What is the catchment area for St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

No fixed boundary. When St Dominic Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.

How big are the classes at St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

Classes at St Dominic Catholic Primary School average 28.7 pupils (2025/26).

How many pupils go to St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

St Dominic Catholic Primary School has around 232 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.

How do I apply to St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Dominic Catholic Primary 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 St Dominic Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?

Ofsted's childcare register lists 5 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Dominic Catholic Primary School: The Little Gym Harpenden (350m away, registered, not yet graded), FizzBug Holiday Club @ Harpenden Leisure Centre (420m away, registered, not yet graded) and Team Horizon Holiday Camp - Harpenden. (700m 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 St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 22 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 6 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 St Dominic Catholic Primary School?

St Dominic Catholic Primary School is at St Dominic Catholic Primary School, Southdown Road, HARPENDEN, Hertfordshire, AL5 1PF.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

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