Roundwood Park School

Academy converter·Secondary school Harpenden, Hertfordshire·AL5 3AE
Composite score
74.4
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#258
National rank
#29
In East of England
#14
In Hertfordshire
Top 8%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
59.5
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
67%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
87%
% EBacc grade 5+
26%
EBacc average points score
5.31

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Outstanding

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
77%
219 first choices, 187 places
First choices per place
1.17
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
689
any preference, for 187 places
Last place offered lived
2.11 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 3396 m
Applications from another council area
11%
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.05
00.511.5
1 per place
1.0520221.0420231.1220241.1220251.172026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,437
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
7.8%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
8.3%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
3.5%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
1.8%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
6.7%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
15.3%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.8
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,966
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
96%
210 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
95%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About Roundwood Park School

Roundwood Park School is a secondary school in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 1,437 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds an 'Outstanding' judgement from Ofsted. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 59.5 — well above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 3.0 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 8% of secondary schools in England.

67% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 87% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Roundwood Park School is oversubscribed: about 8 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, with 219 first choices for 187 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 2.11 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 96% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 6.7%. There are about 17.8 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 8% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. Given the recent dip in results, it may be worth asking the school what is behind the change and what is being done in response. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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