Harlington Upper School is a mixed secondary academy in Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire Council, teaching 1,156 pupils aged 13 to 18. Ofsted rated it Good at its last graded inspection in October 2023. In 2024–2025, GCSE Attainment 8 was 47.8 (England 46.1). Its 2025–2026 calendar lists 15 holidays and 4 INSET days.

Ofsted inspection

The latest published Ofsted judgement for Harlington Upper School.

Latest inspection
Good Overall effectiveness
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour & attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership & managementGood
Sixth formGood
S5 Inspection · Inspected 3 Oct 2023 · Published 14 Jan 2024
Read full Ofsted report ↗

Scale: Outstanding Good Requires improvement Inadequate

Term dates & holidays 2025–2026

Autumn, spring and summer terms, half-terms, INSET days and bank holidays for Harlington Upper School.

Harlington Upper School term dates calendar 2025–2026
Official term-dates calendar · 2025–2026 · source

Interactive Calendar

September 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 1 Training Day
  • 2 School Holiday
  • 3 First Day of Autumn Term
October 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 10 Training Day
  • 27–31 Autumn Half Term
November 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 28 Training Day
December 2025
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 22–31 Christmas Holiday
  • 25 Christmas Day (Bank Holiday)
  • 26 Boxing Day (Bank Holiday)
January 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 1–2 Christmas Holiday
  • 1 New Year's Day (Bank Holiday)
February 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
  • 16–20 Spring Half Term
March 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 30–31 Easter Holiday
April 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 1–10 Easter Holiday
  • 3 Good Friday (Bank Holiday)
  • 6 Easter Monday (Bank Holiday)
  • 13 Training Day
May 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 4 Early May Bank Holiday
  • 25–29 Summer Half Term
  • 25 Spring Bank Holiday
June 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
July 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 24–31 Summer Holiday
August 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
  • 1–31 Summer Holiday
  • 31 Summer Bank Holiday
September 2026
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
  • 1 Summer Holiday

Key dates (2025–2026)

  • Training Day Sep 1, 2025 Inset Day
  • School Holiday Sep 2, 2025 Holiday
  • First Day of Autumn Term Sep 3, 2025 Term
  • Autumn Half Term Oct 27-31, 2025 Holiday
  • Training Day Oct 10, 2025 Inset Day
  • Training Day Nov 28, 2025 Inset Day
  • Christmas Holiday Dec 22, 2025 - Jan 2, 2026 Holiday
  • New Year's Day (Bank Holiday) Jan 1, 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Half Term Feb 16-20, 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Holiday Mar 30 - Apr 10, 2026 Holiday
  • Good Friday (Bank Holiday) Apr 3, 2026 Holiday
  • Easter Monday (Bank Holiday) Apr 6, 2026 Holiday
  • Training Day Apr 13, 2026 Inset Day
  • Early May Bank Holiday May 4, 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Half Term May 25-29, 2026 Holiday
  • Spring Bank Holiday May 25, 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Holiday Jul 24, 2026 - Sep 1, 2026 Holiday
  • Summer Bank Holiday Aug 31, 2026 Holiday
  • Christmas Day (Bank Holiday) Dec 25, 2025 Holiday
  • Boxing Day (Bank Holiday) Dec 26, 2025 Holiday

Exam results & performance

DfE performance tables Official results, 2024–2025 GOV.UK ↗
47.8 Attainment 8 England 46.1 Top 32%
48.4% Grade 5+ English & maths England 45.4% Top 31%
31.41 A level average score England 35
19.6% Persistent absence England 17.8%

The measures that carry the most signal. Open a section to compare Harlington Upper School with Central Bedfordshire Council and England.

Key stage 4 (GCSE) 47.8 Attainment 8 score

Year 11 results across eight qualifications, including English and maths.

This school Central Bedfordshire Council England

Attainment 8 score · Average across 8 GCSEs, out of 90 47.8
Central Bedfordshire Council 43.6 England 46.1 +1.7 vs England
Grade 5+ in English & maths · A strong pass 48.4%
Central Bedfordshire Council 41.5% England 45.4% +3 vs England
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils 36.4
Central Bedfordshire Council 28.9 England 34.9 +1.5 vs England
Disadvantage gap · Attainment 8 points; smaller is better 12.9
Central Bedfordshire Council 17.8 England 15.5 -2.6 vs England
Disadvantaged pupils in the year group · Context for the scores above 11.5%
Central Bedfordshire Council 17.7% England 28.2%
Pupils in the year group · Small cohorts swing wildly 279
16 to 18 (A level & sixth form) 31.41 A level average point score

Results for students finishing post-16 study.

This school Central Bedfordshire Council England

A level average point score · Per entry, 50 = A* 31.41
Central Bedfordshire Council 32.68 England 35 -3.6 vs England
A level students · Small cohorts swing wildly 187
Attendance 19.6% Persistently absent pupils

Absence across the whole school year.

This school Central Bedfordshire Council England

Persistently absent pupils · Missed 10%+ of sessions; lower is better 19.6%
Central Bedfordshire Council 16% England 17.8% +1.8 vs England
Overall absence · Lower is better 7.8%
Central Bedfordshire Council 6.4% England 6.8% +1 vs England
What pupils do after GCSEs 93% In education, apprenticeship or work

Still in education, an apprenticeship or work a year after key stage 4.

This school Central Bedfordshire Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 93%
Central Bedfordshire Council 93% England 92% +1 vs England
Same, for disadvantaged pupils 77%
Central Bedfordshire Council 82% England 83% -6 vs England
What students do after 16 to 18 study 86% In education, apprenticeship or work

Destinations the year after finishing post-16 study.

This school Central Bedfordshire Council England

In education, apprenticeship or work 86%
Central Bedfordshire Council 80% England 79% +7 vs England
Went to higher education 52%
Central Bedfordshire Council 35% England 37% +15 vs England
About this data source & caveats

Progress 8 is not published for 2024–2025. This year group missed their key stage 2 tests in 2020, so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

Attendance comparisons are pupil-weighted averages we calculate from every school’s published absence figure — the DfE absence file has no local authority or England rows of its own.

We show the headline measures only. Threshold and curriculum-policy figures — grade 4+ in English and maths, EBacc entry and points, the per-subject key stage 2 breakdown, academic and applied splits at 16 to 18 — reflect admissions and curriculum choices more than school quality, so they are left to GOV.UK. Progress measures matter most because they compare pupils with others who started at the same level; attainment on its own largely tracks a school’s intake.

Figures are the Department for Education’s official published results for Harlington Upper School. Results are suppressed where too few pupils were entered. England figures are the average for state-funded schools. “Top x%” is this school’s position among all schools in England with a published figure for that measure — the DfE does not publish league table rankings.

Source: Compare school and college performance, Department for Education. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Location & catchment area

Indicative catchment Other secondary schools

Indicative only. This is a nearest-school (Voronoi) estimate — the area closer to Harlington Upper School than to any other secondary school. Real admissions depend on the school’s own policy (straight-line distance, siblings, faith, feeder schools and available places) and change each year. Always confirm with the school and local authority admissions team.