The King's School, Harpenden
The King's School is an independent school for pupils aged 4 to 16 in Harpenden. It has a Christian religious character. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in February 2024.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The King's School in detail
The King's School in its own words
In its own words: "The King's School is an independent Christian day school for children of nursery age up to GCSE (16 years). The school was established in Hemel Hempstead with 75 pupils in 1982, and moved to Harpenden during 1987. The current premises are situated in beautiful grounds on the outskirts of Harpenden."
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to The King's School, a unique environment in which children can thrive and grow both spiritually and academically. Here childhood is valued and treasured, and God is firmly at the centre of all that we do."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, tennis, athletics, basketball, multi-sports, orchestra, guitar and recorder.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for The King's School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to The King's School are St Hilda's School (0.7 miles), Aldwickbury School (1.9 miles), Oakwood Primary School (3.5 miles) and Bury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School) (4.6 miles).
St Hilda's SchoolAldwickbury SchoolOakwood Primary SchoolBury Park Educational Institute (Al - Hikmah Secondary School)
Who goes there
In 2026, 27 pupils (16%) received SEN support and 1 (0.6%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Harpenden Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The King's 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 58 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, other theft and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 6 December 2016, before the latest ISI inspection.
View full ISI report pageAt a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for The King's School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with The King's School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
75%
Available places
169 pupils
225 places
56 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Harpenden
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Harpenden
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
15,222
Applications
13,456
Got 1st preference
77.5%
Got preferred school
94.9%
All secondary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
16.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
169
Total Pupils
86
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The King's School
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The King's School
What are GCSE results like at The King's School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for The King's School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
When was The King's School last inspected?
The King's School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in February 2024.
How many pupils go to The King's School?
The King's School has around 169 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to The King's School?
The King's School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near The King's School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 King's School?
The King's School is at Elmfield, Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4DU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)