The Grove Infant and Nursery School

Primary · Community school · Ages 3–7 · Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Last distance offered · Reception 2026

1.04 miles

Nearest School · Published by Hertfordshire County Council · offers on 16 April 2026

Reception last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)

1.17

0.74

0.94

1.27

1.19

1.24

0.43

1.04

20192020202120222023202420252026

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The Grove Infant and Nursery School is a primary school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire for ages 3–7 (community school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Outstanding, from the inspection on 7 November 2023. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.

The Grove Infant and Nursery School catchment area: last distance offered

Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.

Entry	Last distance offered
Reception 2026	1.04 mi
Reception 2025	0.43 mi
Reception 2024	1.24 mi
Reception 2023	1.19 mi
Reception 2022	1.27 mi
Reception 2021	0.94 mi
Reception 2020	0.74 mi
Reception 2019	1.17 mi
Reception 2018	1.60 mi
Reception 2017	1.17 mi
Reception 2016	1.37 mi
Reception 2015	0.37 mi

What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment

What the figures show

For Reception in 2026, there were 51 first-choice applications for 59 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 8 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
In 2026 the last child offered a Reception place under one of its admission criteria lived 1.04 miles away, further than in 2025 and further than in 2015.
The Reception last distance offered swung sharply between some years with a published distance.
The school has 19.4 pupils per teacher; the middle figure across the 8 nearest primary schools in Hertfordshire is 22.5.

Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Hertfordshire schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.

Key facts

Address: Dark Lane, Harpenden, AL5 1QD
Type: Community school
Phase: Primary
Ages: 3–7
Council: Hertfordshire
Pupils on roll: 243 January 2026 school census
Free school meals: 2.5% of pupils eligible
Pupils per teacher: 19.4

Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026

Ofsted

Outstanding Inspected 7 November 2023

Strengths

“Pupils are happy and enthusiastic learners.”
“They enjoy all their lessons and take part in learning with great enthusiasm.”
“Pupils are treated with kindness and care by all staff members.”

Safeguarding: Effective

Quoted from the Ofsted report published 18 December 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Applications and offers

2026 Reception entry: 51 first-preference applications, 59 offers in total, 51 offers to first-preference applicants.

Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.

Nearby primary schools

Straight-line distance, in Hertfordshire.

The Grove Junior School 0.0 mi School remains Good
High Beeches Primary School 0.4 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
Crabtree Infants' School 0.6 mi Outstanding Last distance published
Crabtree Junior School 0.6 mi Outstanding
St Dominic Catholic Primary School 0.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
Harpenden Academy 0.9 mi Improved significantly Last distance published
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School 1.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
Manland Primary School 1.2 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published