St George's School

St George's School is a mixed 11-18 secondary school in Harpenden, part of the stand-alone Harpenden Academy Trust, with a sixth form and some boarding provision. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014; under the current framework the school received no overall effectiveness grade, but it was judged outstanding in every key judgement area. The report describes an exceptional education where high academic ambition is matched by strong personal development. Pupils benefit from a highly sequenced curriculum, expert teaching, effective support for pupils with SEND, strong reading support, exemplary behaviour and very high attendance. Relationships and the house system are central to the school's culture, and pupils take on meaningful leadership responsibilities. Personal development, careers guidance and sixth-form support are notable strengths, as are staff professional development and effective governance. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Inspectors identified no significant areas of weakness in the report.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across the school
• Expert teaching that checks understanding and addresses misconceptions quickly
• Highly effective identification and support for pupils with SEND
• Strong early reading support for pupils who find reading challenging
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning
• Very high attendance, including for pupils with SEND
• Strong personal development programme that builds over time
• Extensive range of clubs, trips, speakers and house competitions
• Purposeful careers advice and strong sixth-form progression support
• Very strong staff professional development programme
• Effective governance with clear strategic vision and appropriate challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St George's School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.5% of pupils at St George's School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St George's School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 5.3% of pupils at St George's School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St George's School received £10,162 and spent £10,016 for each of its 1,362 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,199,000 (£2,349 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Harpenden · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St George's School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St George's School is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was St George's School last inspected by Ofsted?

St George's School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does St George's School have?

St George's School has 1,351 pupils on roll.

What age range does St George's School cover?

St George's School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St George's School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 65.6, and 85% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St George's School?

St George's School is at Sun Lane, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 4TD.