Harpenden Academy

Primary · Free schools · Ages 4–11 · Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Last distance offered · Reception 2026

0.30 miles

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

Reception last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)

1.34

0.26

0.87

0.38

0.35

0.39

0.38

0.30

20192020202120222023202420252026

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Harpenden Academy is a primary school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire for ages 4–11 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Improved significantly, from the inspection on 5 February 2025. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.

Harpenden Academy 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	0.30 mi
Reception 2025	0.38 mi
Reception 2024	0.39 mi
Reception 2023	0.35 mi
Reception 2022	0.38 mi
Reception 2021	0.87 mi
Reception 2020	0.26 mi
Reception 2019	1.34 mi
Reception 2018	Not published
Reception 2017	Not published
Reception 2016	Not published
Reception 2015	Not published

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

What the figures show

81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25 (England 62%), and 19% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
For children for whom this is the nearest school, the Reception 2026 last distance offered was 0.30 miles, nearer than in 2025 and in 2019.
Reception 2026 drew 30 first-choice applications for 30 offers; 23 offers went to first-choice families, and 7 first-choice families (23%) were not offered a place.
For Reception 2026, 26 of the 105 applications (25%) came from families living outside Hertfordshire, and 11 offers went to them.

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: 25 Vaughan Road, Harpenden, AL5 4EL
Type: Free schools
Phase: Primary
Ages: 4–11
Council: Hertfordshire
Pupils on roll: 216 January 2026 school census
Free school meals: 5.1% of pupils eligible
Pupils per teacher: 22.5

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

Ofsted

Improved significantly Inspected 5 February 2025

Strengths

“Harpenden Academy provides a nurturing and vibrant environment, where pupils develop exceptional foundations for learning.”
“The school fosters academic excellence and personal growth, shaping confident, resilient and thoughtful pupils.”
“The ambitious curriculum ensures pupils acquire the essential building blocks of knowledge to achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, right from the start.”

Safeguarding: Effective

Quoted from the Ofsted report published 10 March 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Exam results

Measure	School	England
Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25)	81%	62%

Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Applications and offers

2026 Reception entry: 30 first-preference applications, 30 offers in total, 23 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.

St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School 0.2 mi School remains Good Last distance published
St Dominic Catholic Primary School 0.3 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
Crabtree Infants' School 0.5 mi Outstanding Last distance published
Crabtree Junior School 0.6 mi Outstanding
Manland Primary School 0.6 mi School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next Last distance published
High Beeches Primary School 0.7 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
Roundwood Primary School 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
The Grove Junior School 0.8 mi School remains Good