OFSTED
21 April 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum & teaching
Strong standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development
Strong standard
Leadership & governance
Strong standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
29 June 2022
Graded inspection
Good
Published
26 September 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
All-through
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Trust
SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,577
1,577 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
726
46.0% of pupils
Male pupils
851
54.0% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
5.8 pts
below England
School
19.0%
St Albans
10.0%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
5.8 pts
below England
School
14.5%
St Albans
15.9%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.3 pts
below England
School
0.7%
St Albans
1.0%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
53.2%
839
Any other White background
8.2%
129
Any other Mixed background
6.1%
96
Bangladeshi
5.8%
92
Any other ethnic group
5.5%
86
Any other Asian background
3.4%
54
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
16.1%
254 of
1,577 pupils
4.7 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
1.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
3.6 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
56.5
17.3 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.35 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
6.93%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
0.71 pts
higher than
England
School
6.93%
St Albans
5.63%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
21.19%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
5.37 pts
higher than
England
School
21.19%
St Albans
12.95%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
1.60%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.21 pts
lower than
England
School
1.60%
St Albans
1.63%
East of England
1.83%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open all-through schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
103.8%
12.7 pts
above England
Samuel Ryder Academy
103.8%
St Albans
110.5%
East of England
93.0%
England
91.1%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.