Harpenden Academy
25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, AL5 4EL
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Free school meals
- 5.1%
Ofsted
Improved significantly (2025) — Ungraded inspection — “Improved significantly” (no overall grade issued)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 5 February 2025, published 9 March 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 81% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 19% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1 first-choice application per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 30 | 30 | 105 | 30 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 29 | 25 | 86 | 29 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 27 | 25 | 113 | 27 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 30 | 28 | 100 | 30 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 29 | 24 | 123 | 29 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 27 | 22 | 106 | 26 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 29 | 23 | 122 | 29 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 28 | 18 | 65 | 25 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School 0.4 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- St Dominic Catholic Primary School 0.5 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Crabtree Infants' School 0.9 km · Outstanding (2024) · previous system
- Crabtree Junior School 0.9 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Manland Primary School 0.9 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- High Beeches Primary School 1.2 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2023 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.