School Chooser

The King's School

Independent · ages 4-16MixedIndependentChristian169 pupilsNurseryHarpendenHertfordshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths78%England 46%
Places56 spare169 pupils, 225 places
Pupils on roll169Census January 2024

The King's School is an independent school in Harpenden for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 169 pupils and room for 225.

Elmfield, Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, AL5 4DU01582 767566thekingsschool.comMr Andrew J Reeves headteacherAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

Average GCSE score59.3
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths78%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths87%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 67.467.420182019: 59.459.420192022: 69.769.720222023: 60.060.020232024: 60.560.520242025: 59.359.32025
Since 2018: -8.1
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018HertfordshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11232221151316
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 859.360.560.069.759.467.450.946.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths78%77%76%87%85%75%53%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths87%96%90%100%85%100%72%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score5.285.465.475.895.205.964.584.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry22%50%71%40%39%38%47%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 14 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

Combined Science67%grades 9 to 5, England 36%
Mathematics83%grades 9 to 5, England 53%
English Language78%grades 9 to 5, England 54%
Religious Studies68%grades 9 to 5, England 60%
What is taught hereOffers triple science.
LanguagesFrench9

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics23 entries
83%England 53%
78%England 54%
68%England 60%
65%England 58%
67%England 36%
Geography12 entries
58%England 51%
Business11 entries
82%England 51%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics2344%83%91%53%
English Language2344%78%87%54%
Religious Studies2241%68%73%60%
English Literature1741%65%88%58%
Combined Science1520%67%80%36%
Geography1242%58%83%51%
Business1146%82%91%51%
French933%67%78%60%
Chemistry888%88%100%81%
Physics888%100%100%82%
Physical Education80%38%63%56%
History875%100%100%52%
Biology888%100%100%82%
Art and Design633%67%83%58%

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.

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

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
56.963.1
Gap 6.2England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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. As a Christian 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.

Pupils on roll169Census January 2024
Places22575% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support16%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Boys and girls86 / 83
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll169176171181160155
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support21%17%1%21%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%0%18%1%0%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate34 per 1,000 people63% lower than the England average
Typical house price£621,000St Albans
Nearest bus stop520 mRidgewood Drive, 0 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
The Lea Primary School and NurseryCouncil740 m239No overall grade 202487Compare
St George's SchoolAcademy0.7 miles1,351No overall grade 202593Compare
St Hilda's SchoolIndependent0.7 miles134Not inspectedCompare
Roundwood Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles338Report card 202686Compare
Roundwood Park SchoolAcademy0.7 miles1,421Outstanding 202392Compare
Wood End SchoolCouncil0.8 miles457Outstanding 202399Compare
Manland Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles204Good 202497Compare
St Nicholas CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England0.9 miles149Good 202292Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The King's School a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score The King's School yet.

How good are The King's School's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 78% 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 59.3, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does The King's School have?

169 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 225 places, so it is 75% full.

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

Contact and details

Address
Elmfield, Ambrose Lane, Harpenden, AL5 4DU
Telephone
01582 767566
Website
www.thekingsschool.com
Headteacher
Mr Andrew J Reeves
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 4-16, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Christian
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Harpenden North & Rural
Constituency
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
14 September 1982
URN
117650 · LAESTAB 9196224 · UKPRN 10016991

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from