School Chooser

St Luke's School

Special · ages 7-16MixedFoundation special school182 pupilsSt AlbansHertfordshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, June 2023
Attendance89.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families39%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull182 pupils, 175 places
Pupils per teacher6.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll182Census January 2026

St Luke's School is a foundation special school in St Albans for boys and girls aged 7 to 16. It has 182 pupils, 7 more than it has places for. About 38 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Crouch Hall Lane, Redbourn, St Albans, AL3 7ET01582 626727stlukes.herts.sch.ukMr Stephen Hoult-Allen headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

21 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.62In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2018/19, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018HertfordshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11213629291811
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 80.150.946.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-1.62
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%53%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%72%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.014.584.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%47%41%
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers0.1

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

5 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2024
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%2024
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HertfordshireEngland
Pupils tested5811211718
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-7.6-8.6-9.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.9-12.0-8.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%0%

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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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.

Pupils on roll182Census January 2026
Places175104% full
Pupils from low-income families39%39% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%182 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)37%£77,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls119 / 63
White British pupils74%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, moderate learning difficulties, speech, language and communication.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Hertfordshire with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (130), Autistic spectrum disorder (20), Severe learning difficulty (15), emotional and mental health (6), language and communications needs (6), Vision impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll182178172160161160
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals39%40%42%43%42%36%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%1%1%1%5%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance89.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school30.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils14.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence11.0%11.6%12.4%12.2%23.0%10.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.8%7.2%8.7%8.8%19.6%8.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.2%4.4%3.7%3.4%3.4%2.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence30.0%32.2%35.2%34.4%71.0%31.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate14.616.913.814.94.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions02100

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 29 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training90%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 92%, compared with 88% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training90%93%100%94%
Education90%93%100%83%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%11%
Not in education, work or training7%7%0%6%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers26.8full-time equivalent, 28 people
Pupils per teacher6.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers86%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants37.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,698
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£23,117England £32,258. Total £4.1m
Income per pupil£21,817England £32,367. Total £3.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,372England £11,930
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £154k, £867 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out-£231kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£23,117spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m8112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate69 per 1,000 people24% lower than the England average
Typical house price£621,000St Albans
Nearest bus stop360 mAysgarth Road, 5 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Redbourn Primary SchoolCouncil320 m375No overall grade 202561Compare
Flamstead Village SchoolCouncil1.6 miles99Good 202352Compare
Roundwood Park SchoolAcademy1.8 miles1,421Outstanding 202392Compare
Roundwood Primary SchoolCouncil1.8 miles338Report card 202686Compare
Wood End SchoolCouncil1.9 miles457Outstanding 202399Compare
St Hilda's SchoolIndependent2.0 miles134Not inspectedCompare
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England2.2 miles149Good 202292Compare
Brockswood Primary SchoolCouncil2.2 miles247No overall grade 202495Compare

Questions parents ask

Is St Luke's School a good school?

St Luke's School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2023.

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

Ofsted rated St Luke's School good at its last full inspection on 7 June 2023.

How many pupils does St Luke's School have?

182 pupils aged 7 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 175 places, so it is 104% full.

What is attendance like at St Luke's School?

Pupils were in school 89.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 30% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does St Luke's School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Crouch Hall Lane, Redbourn, St Albans, AL3 7ET
Telephone
01582 626727
Website
www.stlukes.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Stephen Hoult-Allen
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 7-16
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Redbourn
Constituency
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Setting
Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
117671 · LAESTAB 9197012 · UKPRN 10008515

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from