Harpenden Town

Summary

Harpenden Town (E02004926) is part of Hertfordshire local authority (view on map). Harpenden Town has an approximate population of 8,300 people, of which 23% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Harpenden Town neighbours Harpenden North, Harpenden East, Harpenden Common, and Redbourn.

Headlines

  • 5% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% least deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England – see more.
  • 4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 8% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
  • 2% of pupils have an EHC plan, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Harpenden Town is the 2nd least deprived area in Hertfordshire (out of 154) with 5% of children living in low-income families, compared to 26% across Hertfordshire and 38% nationally.

5% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% least deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Harpenden Town, 4% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 17% in Hertfordshire and 27% nationally.

4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Harpenden Town % in Hertfordshire % in England
Eligible for free school meals 4% 17% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 96% 83% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Harpenden Town, 10% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 18% in Hertfordshire, and 19% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

8% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England . In addition, 2% of pupils have an EHC plan, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Harpenden Town % in Hertfordshire % in England
No special educational needs 90% 82% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 8% 14% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 2% 4% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Harpenden Town, 24% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 30% in Hertfordshire, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Harpenden Town % in Hertfordshire % in England
White 75% 71% 67%
Asian 11% 12% 14%
Black 2% 6% 7%
Mixed 10% 9% 7%
Other 1% 2% 3%
Not known – 1% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Harpenden Town with English as an additional language is 16%, compared with 19% in Hertfordshire, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Harpenden Town % in Hertfordshire % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 16% 19% 22%
Known or believed to be English 84% 81% 78%

Data source

Provider information

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Registered childcare providers

Harpenden Town has 13 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Harpenden Town
All childcare providers 13
Childminders 1
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 12

There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Harpenden Town since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data source

State-funded schools

Harpenden Town has 3 state-funded schools.

Type Number in Harpenden Town
All state-funded schools 3
Nursery schools 0
Primary and all-through schools 3
Secondary and all-through schools 0
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 0

There have been no inspections of schools in Harpenden Town since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: