St Dominic Catholic Primary School
St Dominic Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in Harpenden for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 232 pupils and room for 240. About 3 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2023.
St Dominic Catholic Primary School, Southdown Road, Harpenden, AL5 1PF01582 760047stdominic.herts.sch.ukMrs Lynn Wilson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
31 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Dominic Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 31 | 30 | 31 | 60 | 60 | 30 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 81% | 87% | 97% | 93% | 80% | 83% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 23% | 23% | 29% | 35% | 18% | 37% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 112.0 | 111.0 | 111.0 | 112.0 | 110.0 | 113.0 | 106.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 109.0 | 109.0 | 110.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 | 105.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 111.0 | 110.0 | 109.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 | 112.0 | 106.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 97% | 93% | 100% | 98% | 93% | 90% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 94% | 93% | 97% | 98% | 93% | 93% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 87% | 90% | 100% | 93% | 82% | 93% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | +3.2 | +4.2 | +2.0 | +4.4 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +2.9 | +1.6 | +0.9 | +1.6 | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
† These results are for St Dominic Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in June 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 the end of primary school, 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
Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Hertfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.0 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (7), Specific learning difficulty (6), emotional and mental health (5), language and communications needs (5), Hearing impairment (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25† | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 3.3% | 4.0% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.7% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.6% | 1.5% | 2.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 4.4% | 7.0% | 7.1% | 8.2% | 1.1% | 2.8% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for St Dominic Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in June 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 primary 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpenden Academy | Free school | 480 m | 216 | Not inspected | 92 | Compare |
| St Nicholas CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 770 m | 149 | Good 2022 | 92 | Compare |
| Crabtree Infants' School | Academy | 810 m | 178 | Outstanding 2024 | 99 | Compare |
| Crabtree Junior School | Academy | 870 m | 256 | Outstanding 2023 | 98 | Compare |
| The Grove Junior School | Council | 1000 m | 350 | Good 2022 | 91 | Compare |
| High Beeches Primary School | Council | 0.6 miles | 420 | Outstanding 2023 | 99 | Compare |
| The Grove Infant and Nursery School | Council | 0.7 miles | 243 | Outstanding 2023 | 97 | Compare |
| Manland Primary School | Council | 0.8 miles | 204 | Good 2024 | 97 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is St Dominic Catholic Primary School a good school?
St Dominic Catholic Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in November 2023.
What is St Dominic Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Dominic Catholic Primary School outstanding at its last full inspection on 22 November 2023.
How good are St Dominic Catholic Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 81% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 23% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does St Dominic Catholic Primary School have?
232 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 240 places, so it is 97% full.
What is attendance like at St Dominic Catholic Primary School?
Pupils were in school 96.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Dominic Catholic Primary School?
The average class had 28.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- St Dominic Catholic Primary School, Southdown Road, Harpenden, AL5 1PF
- Telephone
- 01582 760047
- Website
- www.stdominic.herts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lynn Wilson
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Westminster
- Multi-academy trust
- All Saints Catholic Academy Trust (14 schools)
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward
- Harpenden West
- Constituency
- Harpenden and Berkhamsted
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 June 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151499 · LAESTAB 9193401 · UKPRN 10096969
- Formerly
- St Dominic Catholic Primary School
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.
- 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.