Sir John Lawes SchoolKatherine Warington School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Harpenden.
Summary of the comparison
Sir John Lawes School and Katherine Warington School are secondary schools in Harpenden.
Sir John Lawes School scores 82 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and Katherine Warington School scores 66 out of 100 (grade C, average). Sir John Lawes School is ahead on our composite score.
Sir John Lawes School was judged Outstanding and Katherine Warington School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 62.8 for Sir John Lawes School and 54.8 for Katherine Warington School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Sir John Lawes School (63.3 in 2021-22, 62.8 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HarpendenSir John Lawes School | HarpendenKatherine Warington School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B82/100Stronger figure | C66/100 | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | 33rd of 81 in Hertfordshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: OutstandingStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Academy converter | Free schools | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-19 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,356 | 1,017 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | Not reported | |
| Location | Harpenden, AL5 4QP | Harpenden, AL5 5FH | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 62.8 Stronger figure | 54.8 | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 75.5% Stronger figure | 59.5% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 87.0% Stronger figure | 76.3% | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 52.1% Stronger figure | 26.6% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.74 Stronger figure | 4.85 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 192 | 173 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 156 | Not reported | |
| A-level average points | 42.4 | Not reported | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B+ | Not reported | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 43.6 | Not reported | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 27.5% | Not reported | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,356 | 1,017 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 9.2% | 16.5% | |
| English as an additional language | 12.2% | 7.1% | |
| SEN support | 12.7% | 14.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.5% | 5.1% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 4.2% Stronger figure | 7.5% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 7.5% Stronger figure | 16.5% | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Sir John Lawes School
Katherine Warington School
Full profiles: Sir John Lawes School · Katherine Warington School