Sir John Lawes SchoolSt George's School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Harpenden.
Summary of the comparison
Sir John Lawes School and St George's School are secondary schools in Harpenden.
Sir John Lawes School scores 82 out of 100 (grade B, strong) and St George's School scores 79 out of 100 (grade B, strong). Sir John Lawes School is ahead on our composite score.
Sir John Lawes School was judged Outstanding and St George's School was judged exceptional.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 62.8 for Sir John Lawes School and 63.7 for St George's School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Sir John Lawes School (63.3 in 2021-22, 62.8 in 2024-25) and has fallen at St George's School (66.5 in 2021-22, 63.7 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | HarpendenSir John Lawes School | HarpendenSt George's School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | B82/100Stronger figure | B79/100 | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 81 in Hertfordshire Stronger figure | 9th of 81 in Hertfordshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Outstanding | Ofsted: Outstanding | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,356 | 1,362 | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | 1,406 | |
| Location | Harpenden, AL5 4QP | Harpenden, AL5 4TD | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 62.8 | 63.7 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 75.5% | 76.6% Stronger figure | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 87.0% | 89.9% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 52.1% Stronger figure | 26.6% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.74 Stronger figure | 5.52 | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 192 | 188 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 156 | 206 | |
| A-level average points | 42.4 | 43.4 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B+ | B+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 43.6 Stronger figure | 43.4 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 27.5% | 31.3% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,356 | 1,362 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 9.2% | 4.6% | |
| English as an additional language | 12.2% | 19.6% | |
| SEN support | 12.7% | 5.1% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.5% | 1.9% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 4.2% Stronger figure | 6.7% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 7.5% Stronger figure | 26.0% | 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
A-level average points
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
St George's School
Full profiles: Sir John Lawes School · St George's School