Harpenden Academy
25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, AL5 4EL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Davies
- Sponsor
- Scholars' Education Trust
- Constituency
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 216
- URN
- 143648
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01582716910
About this school
Harpenden Academy is a primary academy in Harpenden. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 216 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 February 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 33 | 33 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 79% | 82% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 27% | 12% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 97% | 88% | 91% |
| Expected standard in maths | 94% | 94% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 97% | 97% | 91% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.70 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Harpenden Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 79% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 82% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 213 |
| 2023/24 | 213 |
| 2024/25 | 214 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Harpenden Academy compares
Harpenden Academy ranked 38th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 3.9% | 6.5% | 216 | — |
| St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School | 91% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 149 | 0.2 miles |
| St Dominic Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 232 | 0.3 miles |
| Crabtree Infants' School | — | 2.8% | 2.2% | 178 | 0.5 miles |
| Crabtree Junior School | 86% | 3.7% | 0.8% | 256 | 0.6 miles |
| Manland Primary School | 91% | 2.4% | 3% | 204 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.54%
- English as an additional language
- 17.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.93%
- Persistent absence
- 5.61%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Harpenden
-
St Dominic Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Harpenden
-
Crabtree Infants' School0.5 miles
Primary · Harpenden
-
Crabtree Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Harpenden
-
Manland Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Harpenden
Other schools in Harpenden
Harpenden Academy ranks 5th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Harpenden.
- Crabtree Infants' School Primary
- Crabtree Junior School Primary
- High Beeches Primary School Primary
- Manland Primary School Primary
- Roundwood Primary School Primary
- Sauncey Wood Primary School Primary
- St Dominic Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School Primary
- The Grove Infant and Nursery School Primary
- The Grove Junior School Primary
- The Lea Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Wood End School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Harpenden Academy teach?
- Harpenden Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Harpenden.
- Who is the headteacher of Harpenden Academy?
- The headteacher of Harpenden Academy is Mrs Lisa Davies, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Harpenden Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Harpenden Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Harpenden Academy?
- Harpenden Academy has 216 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Harpenden Academy a faith school?
- No. Harpenden Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Harpenden Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Harpenden Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Harpenden Academy?
- Harpenden Academy is part of SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Harpenden Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 79% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Harpenden Academy rank locally?
- Harpenden Academy ranked 38th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Harpenden Academy's absence rate?
- Harpenden Academy's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Harpenden Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Harpenden Academy's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 10 July 2026.