Best areas in North London and Herts for inclusive secondary schools

[dadmumplus10]

Can anyone shed any light on the best areas for secondary schooling for our son? He is bright, capable but struggles socially.

We are looking at;
Hapenden
St. Alban's
Whetstone
Barnet

North London and Herts.. We are looking for a 'just outside London' feel with easy access/commuting.. It must be an open, inclusive area / school, not cliquey or village-y..

Any ideas greatly appreciated!

Are you looking for state or private? Are you looking to move house?

Yes - we would be moving house. State schools only.

how old is your son?

I don’t know Barnet or Whetstone.

Harpenden’s schools are excellent but it is definitely quite “villagey” - for lots of people this is a pro but fair enough it’s not your cup of tea. It’s not very ethnically diverse!

St Albans has some excellent schools too though for secondaries you’ll need to aim for a particular school and then live within 1km maximum from it (catchments in recent years have gone much smaller but seem to be growing again). It is bigger and less villagey, and that bit nearer to London so would likely be a better fit.

You’ll get cliques everywhere but I’ve found most people in both are pretty friendly. Lots of people move up from London.

My dc went to KWS and Roundwood. KWS was okay but Roundwood was amazing. Academic but caring.

The problem with KWS is that its one large building and gets really busy. It is probably the least Harpenden-y of the Harpenden schools. The teaching was mixed with some great teachers and some not great at all. I am not one of those pushy parents either. The pastoral support is okay.