The Grove Infant and Nursery School, Harpenden
The Grove Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Harpenden. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. It was 83% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
The Grove Infant and Nursery School in detail
Getting a place at The Grove Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 51 families put The Grove Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 141 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Grove Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Grove Infant and Nursery School are The Grove Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 91% reading, 86% maths); High Beeches Primary School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 98% reading, 95% maths); Crabtree Infants' School (0.6 miles, Outstanding); and Crabtree Junior School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 94% reading, 88% maths).
The Grove Junior SchoolHigh Beeches Primary SchoolCrabtree Infants' SchoolCrabtree Junior School
Who goes there
2.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 21 pupils (8.6%) received SEN support and 6 (2.5%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harpenden Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pipers Avenue (opposite), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Grove Infant and Nursery School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 45 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Grove Infant and Nursery School issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Grove Infant and Nursery School are Katherine Warington School (1 mile), Sir John Lawes School (1.1 miles), St George's School (1.2 miles) and Roundwood Park School (1.7 miles).
Katherine Warington SchoolSir John Lawes SchoolSt George's SchoolRoundwood Park School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
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 November 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
2.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
23.4
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Grove Infant and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Grove Infant and Nursery School.
- FizzBug @ Grove Infant SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Fizzbug @ The Grove Junior SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Barracudas - Harpenden570m away · Not yet graded
- FizzBug @ Crabtree Junior School890m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
The Grove Infant and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Grove Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Grove Infant and Nursery 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 The Grove Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at The Grove Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Grove Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Grove Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Grove Infant and Nursery School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Grove Infant and Nursery School for 2014 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
83%
Available places
225 pupils
270 places
45 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
11.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
243
Total Pupils
126
Boys
117
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
18.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,426
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,279
Per pupil
£1267k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
158
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
The Grove Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about The Grove Infant and Nursery School
What is The Grove Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
The Grove Infant and Nursery School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023.
What is the catchment area for The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When The Grove Infant and Nursery 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 The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
The Grove Infant and Nursery School was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at The Grove Infant and Nursery School average 23.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
The Grove Infant and Nursery School has around 243 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at The Grove Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming The Grove Infant and Nursery 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 The Grove Infant and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: FizzBug @ Grove Infant School (registered, not yet graded) and Fizzbug @ The Grove Junior School (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are The Grove Infant and Nursery School's term dates?
The Grove Infant and Nursery School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 The Grove Infant and Nursery School?
The Grove Infant and Nursery School is at Dark Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 1QD.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)