Classpot

Harpenden Academy

St Albans, AL5 4ELPrimaryAges 4–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
Feb 2025
KS2 Results
82%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
25 1st-choice / 29 places
Ranking
🏆Top 10%
#1172 of 13,686 nationally

About Harpenden Academy

Harpenden Academy is a state primary school in St Albans for children aged 4 to 11, and it is currently a popular choice among local families. The school has capacity for 214 pupils, and in the 2025/26 admissions round it received 86 applications for just 29 places, making it significantly oversubscribed with a ratio of nearly three applicants per place. Of those, 25 families put it as their first preference, and all 25 received an offer. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 6. 5%, which is notably lower than the national average, suggesting the school draws from a relatively affluent catchment area. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher Lisa Davies. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in February 2025, found that the school had improved significantly since its previous graded inspection, and it now holds a Good rating overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range4 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
Address25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, St Albans, AL5 4EL
HeadteacherLisa Davies
Local AuthorityHertfordshire
Number of Pupils214
Free School Meals (FSM)6.5%

The full report on this school

What 105 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

5 Feb 2025
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Leadership & Management
Outstanding
Early Years Provision
Good

Latest monitoring visit (5 Feb 2025): Improved significantly

Source: Ofsted, 8 Jul 2019. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguagePhysicalLearning Difficulty

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Harpenden Academy

Harpenden Academy has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.