The Priory School
Foundation school in Hitchin, SG5 2UR, taking ages 11 to 18, 1,221 on roll.
Homes you looked at
How far each is from The Priory School, from its postcode's centre. Distance did not limit entry in the latest published year, on Hertfordshire's figure, so each reads Very likely.
Opened on this device and kept on it only: just their postcodes are sent, to this site, to measure them.
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Will an address get in?
Distance did not limit entry in the latest published year: Hertfordshire records the furthest offer at 352.41 miles, further than any school run. Distance is not what will decide a place here.
Applying for September 2027? Secondary applications close 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
How this compares: every Hertfordshire school's distance, tightest first →
No circle to draw: 352.41 miles is not a distance limit.
The Priory School: no circle, distance did not limit entry Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School: 0.82 miles, published by Hertfordshire
How to read this
Most English schools do not have a catchment area. When The Priory School is oversubscribed, places go outward from the school until they run out, so the distance moves each year with how many families applied and where they lived.
Distances are measured from the postcode's centre, not a front door; a postcode covers a few houses. Siblings, looked-after children come before distance, so a school can fill before distance counts at all.
With no distance limit the map shows the school and the postcode you check, and claims nothing about a boundary.
The address on the closing date is the one the council uses. How admissions work.
Source: Hertfordshire, published admission distances
Where The Priory School and Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School are both in reach
Both distances are drawn on the map above. Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School admitted from 0.82 miles in the latest published year, published by Hertfordshire. Its own page has the rest of its figures.
Districts inside both distances mean nothing when one of the two did not limit entry: a figure beyond any school run would put half a county inside it. The map above still shows both schools, and the postcode checker answers for both.
Sign up to save both schools and be told when either council republishes the distance these answers rest on.
Drop Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School and go back to one school.
If the answer is no, you can appeal. In Hertfordshire, 109 of 519 secondary appeals succeeded in 2025 (21.0%; England 19.9%), counted for all the council's schools together. How every council compares.
Other schools nearby with a published distance
The closest schools to The Priory School that also have a council-published admission distance, nearest first.
| School | Phase | Admitted from | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strathmore Infant and Nursery School Both in reach | Primary | 0.74 mi | 0.2 mi |
| Oughton Primary and Nursery School Both in reach | Primary | 11.25 mi | 0.6 mi |
| Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy Both in reach | Primary | 0.19 mi | 0.6 mi |
| Ickleford Primary School Both in reach | Primary | 3.89 mi | 0.7 mi |
| Hitchin Boys' School Both in reach | Secondary | 4.64 mi | 0.8 mi |
| Samuel Lucas Junior Mixed and Infant School Both in reach | Primary | 0.82 mi | 0.8 mi |
The distance as a picture
What kind of school this is
| Admissions | Non-selective |
| Religious character | No religious character |
| Sixth form | Has a sixth form |
| How full | 1,221 pupils in 1,300 places (94% full) |
| Local authority | Hertfordshire |
Department for Education register (GIAS).
How the school is doing
| Ofsted | Good, inspected 21 November 2022. Ungraded inspection, November 2022: school remains Good |
| Attainment 8 | 48.5 (2024/25) |
| Year | Progress 8 |
|---|---|
| 2024/25 | not published |
| 2023/24 | -0.05 |
| 2022/23 | -0.07 |
Ofsted, and the Department for Education's published performance data.
Who goes to The Priory School
| Girls and boys | 48.3% girls, 51.7% boys |
| English as an additional language | 7.5% of pupils |
| Free school meals | 23.7% of pupils eligible |
DfE school census, most recent published year.
Where The Priory School's Year 11 went next
| Stayed for the sixth form | 55.6% |
| Sixth-form college | 1.0% |
| Further education college | 29.8% |
| Apprenticeship | 3.9% |
| Employment | 1.5% |
| No sustained destination recorded | 5.9% |
DfE destination measures, 2022/23. Broad categories only: the DfE does not publish which named schools or colleges pupils moved to.
Getting to The Priory School by bus
Best-served stop: Wellingham Avenue, 0.2 mi away, with 2.5 buses an hour on weekday daytimes; first bus 05:38, last 18:47.
Every stop within 600 m
| Stop | From the school | Weekday daytime, an hour | Evening | Sunday | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Priory School | 129 yd | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 304, 314, 80, 88, 89 |
| Burford Way | 0.1 mi | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 9D, 89, 9B |
| Burford Way | 0.2 mi | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 9D, 89, 9B |
These are scheduled departures, not buses observed running. Two stops on opposite sides of a road are two rows.
Source: operators' timetables on the Bus Open Data Service (Department for Transport), week of 8 Sep 2026
The fee-paying alternative
Weighing The Priory School against the independent sector? Every fee-paying school around SG5: ages, selection, and how full each one is → What it costs to live at SG5 2UR, by the school: council tax, energy, prices, rent, stamp duty →
Checking the house as well as the school
The full report checks one address against every nearby school, with sold prices, flood risk and crime.
Common questions
What is the catchment area for The Priory School?
The Priory School does not have one in the sense most people mean. Like most English schools, an oversubscribed year offers places outward from the school until they run out. The nearest thing to an answer: the furthest child admitted in the latest published year lived 352.41 miles away, per Hertfordshire.
How close do I need to live to get a place at The Priory School?
Nobody can say in advance, and anyone who does is guessing. 352.41 miles was enough in the latest published year. The distance moves every year with the number of applications, so treat last year's figure as evidence, not a promise.
Does buying a house near The Priory School guarantee a place?
No. Admission criteria usually put looked-after children, siblings ahead of distance, so places can be filled before distance is reached. Councils also check that the address is genuinely where the child lives.
Every Hertfordshire school's distance
All Hertfordshire schools with a published admission distance, tightest first →
How school admissions actually work, and what the distance means →
Put The Priory School's figure on your own site
A small badge with the published distance that links back here, for a school website, parents' group or forum.
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Admission distance published by Hertfordshire. School details from the Department for Education's register, ratings from Ofsted. Read how every figure on this site is sourced on the methodology page. If something here looks wrong, tell us and it goes on the accuracy log.