- SJL takes its name from the founder of the Rothamsted agricultural research station, who established the school as the Harpenden British School in 1850.
- In 1939 SJL moved to a new site on Manland Common. The Manland Common secondary school, as it was later known, changed to its present name in 1982.
- Pupils are assigned to one of seven houses named after Jane Austen, Benjamin Britten, Barbara Hepworth, Martin Luther King Jr, John Lawes, Isaac Newton and Sue Ryder.
- It is part of the Scholars’ Education Trust along with 12 other schools, including Priory Academy, Robert Barclay Academy, Samuel Ryder Academy and The Hemel Hempstead School.
- Alumni include the Blue Peter and Radio 1 presenter Richie Driss.
Results
A-level 2025 rank: 98
Grade
%
A*
16.4
A
27.5
B
31.5
A*/A
44
A*-B
75.5
GCSE 2025 rank: 164
Grade
%
9/8
30.1
7
19
9/8/7
49.1