Schools in Potters Bar

How many schools are there in Potters Bar?

Potters Bar has 17 open schools: 8 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through, 3 independent and 4 special.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Potters Bar are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Potters Bar was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Dame Alice Owen's School. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 12 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Dame Alice Owen's School

Source: Ofsted

Which primary schools in Potters Bar have the best SATs results?

Of the 7 primary schools in Potters Bar with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Cuffley School (93% in reading, 88% in maths); Cranborne Primary School (90% in reading, 90% in maths); and Ladbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School (90% in reading, 90% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Cuffley SchoolCranborne Primary SchoolLadbrooke Junior Mixed and Infant School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Potters Bar?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Potters Bar selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Potters Bar have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Potters Bar have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Potters Bar?

Apply to your council - Hertfordshire, Walsall or North Yorkshire, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.