Sir John Lawes School
similar schools
Sir John Lawes School is a converter academy in Harpenden for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 1,373 pupils, 173 more than it has places for. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 96 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
Manland Way, Harpenden, AL5 4QP01582 760043sjl.herts.sch.ukMr Philip Newbery headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 March 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
192 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 192 | 199 | 200 | 195 | 193 | 196 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 62.8 | 62.3 | 61.0 | 63.3 | 61.0 | 58.8 | 50.9 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.79 | +0.79 | +0.77 | +0.58 | +0.48 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 76% | 76% | 72% | 70% | 75% | 72% | 53% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 87% | 89% | 88% | 83% | 88% | 84% | 72% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 5.74 | 5.60 | 5.51 | 5.73 | 5.59 | 5.31 | 4.58 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 52% | 45% | 50% | 48% | 58% | 48% | 47% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 43.3 | 52.3 | 49.9 | 44.6 | 48.0 | 37.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 64.5 | 63.4 | 62.1 | 65.7 | 62.6 | 61.7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 34.8 | 34.5 | 36.0 | – | 25.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 72.2 | 73.2 | 78.2 | 69.1 | 67.3 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 23 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 191 | 46% | 78% | 91% | 53% | 246 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 191 | 39% | 84% | 92% | 58% | 220 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 191 | 40% | 82% | 90% | 54% | 200 of 3,210 |
| Geography | 134 | 50% | 78% | 83% | 51% | 248 of 3,116 |
| Physics | 117 | 65% | 97% | 98% | 82% | 562 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 117 | 51% | 96% | 99% | 81% | 767 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 117 | 62% | 97% | 99% | 82% | 539 of 2,570 |
| Religious Studies | 96 | 44% | 79% | 89% | 60% | 348 of 1,825 |
| Design & Technology | 82 | 28% | 66% | 81% | 50% | 352 of 1,478 |
| Combined Science | 74 | 11% | 45% | 72% | 36% | 833 of 3,084 |
| History | 60 | 63% | 85% | 92% | 52% | 177 of 3,126 |
| French | 56 | 68% | 93% | 100% | 60% | 122 of 1,974 |
| Physical Education | 50 | 42% | 80% | 90% | 56% | 262 of 1,559 |
| Computer Science | 44 | 55% | 84% | 93% | 56% | 210 of 1,861 |
| Art and Design | 44 | 55% | 80% | 91% | 58% | 475 of 2,818 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 34 | 53% | 71% | 79% | 52% | 232 of 1,098 |
| Spanish | 32 | 44% | 69% | 78% | 54% | 504 of 1,941 |
| German | 31 | 77% | 87% | 90% | 63% | 103 of 571 |
| Media / Film / TV | 31 | 36% | 77% | 84% | 55% | 71 of 580 |
| Drama | 29 | 28% | 76% | 86% | 60% | 252 of 844 |
| Film Studies | 21 | 48% | 76% | 81% | 52% | 18 of 122 |
| Music | 20 | 75% | 95% | 95% | 61% | 45 of 395 |
| Other Modern Languages | 8 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
168 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 168 | 176 | 174 | 173 | 283 | 252 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 42.42 | 40.84 | 38.71 | 43.16 | 39.13 | 38.27 |
| Average A level grade | B+ | B | B | B+ | B | B- |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 43.58 | 41.92 | 39.43 | 44.11 | 40.03 | 40.60 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 28% | 25% | 24% | 31% | 28% | 34% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.18 | +0.14 | – | – | +0.29 | +0.25 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 34.60 | 32.77 | 34.68 | 37.74 | – | – |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 99% | 98% | 98% | 99% | 97% | 98% |
A level subjects
21 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
The school is full, with 25 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 0.6 miles away in 2026, 0.9 miles away in 2025, 1.6 miles away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 0.6 miles from the school, under the catchment area rule. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 196 | 762 | 196 | 0.6 miles (catchment area) | LA |
| 2025 Secondary | 196 | 733 | 196 | 0.9 miles (catchment area) | LA |
| 2024 Secondary | 196 | 799 | 210 | 1.6 miles (catchment area) | LA |
| 2023 Secondary | 196 | 813 | 214 | 0.6 miles (catchment area) | LA |
| 2022 Secondary | 196 | 859 | 210 | 0.7 miles (catchment area) | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 0.9 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Specific learning difficulty (76), Autistic spectrum disorder (45), emotional and mental health (42), language and communications needs (12), Moderate learning difficulty (11), Other difficulty or disability (6).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,373 | 1,356 | 1,347 | 1,342 | 1,335 | 1,334 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 8% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 6% | 5% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 14% | 12% | 12% | 10% | 8% | 6% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 11% | 13% | 13% | 13% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.2% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 3.1% | 3.6% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.4% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 4.6% | 2.6% | 3.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 7.5% | 7.9% | 8.6% | 13.0% | 5.8% | 5.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.7 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 200 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 94%, compared with 97% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 97% | 97% | 96% | 98% |
| Education | 96% | 95% | 93% | 97% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% | 1% |
| Work | 0% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 3% | 2% | 3% | 2% |
After sixth form
Where the 173 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 67%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Where the ones heading for university went
Among students from low-income families, 67% went on to degree-level study or training and 33% to a top-third university.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 91% | 87% | 94% | – |
| Education | 71% | 74% | 76% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 4% | 2% | 3% |
| Work | 16% | 9% | 17% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 6% | 8% | 4% | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St George's School | Academy | 530 m | 1,351 | No overall grade 2025 | 93 | Compare |
| Katherine Warington School | Free school | 940 m | 1,113 | Good 2024 | 68 | Compare |
| Roundwood Park School | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,421 | Outstanding 2023 | 92 | Compare |
| Townsend Church of England School | Church of England | 3.4 miles | 746 | Good 2024 | 48 | Compare |
| St Albans Girls' School | Academy | 3.7 miles | 1,423 | No overall grade 2024 | 89 | Compare |
| Sandringham School | Academy | 3.9 miles | 1,777 | Outstanding 2024 | 98 | Compare |
| Chiltern Academy | Free school | 4.2 miles | 1,203 | Good 2023 | 65 | Compare |
| Verulam School | Academy | 4.8 miles | 987 | Good 2024 | 74 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Sir John Lawes School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 96 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 96% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 95 to 98. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well above | +0.31 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 192 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | well above | +0.32 | Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well above | +0.31 | DfE progress measure; 192 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well above | +0.11 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.17 | 2024/25; 1,017 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.08 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 192 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well above | +0.06 | 200 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Sir John Lawes School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Sir John Lawes School scores 96 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 92% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 95 to 98, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Sir John Lawes School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Sir John Lawes School outstanding at its last full inspection on 28 March 2023.
How good are Sir John Lawes School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 76% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 62.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Sir John Lawes School have?
1,373 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,200 places, so it is 114% full.
Is Sir John Lawes School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 0.6 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Sir John Lawes School?
Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Sir John Lawes School?
The average class had 21.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 10% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Sir John Lawes School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B+. 21 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Manland Way, Harpenden, AL5 4QP
- Telephone
- 01582 760043
- Website
- www.sjl.herts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Philip Newbery
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Scholars' Education Trust (13 schools)
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward
- Harpenden East
- Constituency
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 August 2011 (academy converter)
- URN
- 137270 · LAESTAB 9194028 · UKPRN 10034783
- Formerly
- Sir John Lawes School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Hertfordshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.