King James Academy Royston

King James Academy Royston demonstrates a good overall performance with a strong emphasis on high expectations for both pupil achievement and behaviour. The school has developed ambitious and well-designed curricula that meet the diverse needs of students, allowing them to make good progress across the primary and secondary phases. Support for pupils' wider development is significant, reflected in various leadership and extracurricular opportunities. The school has effectively managed challenges caused by storm damage to its facilities, ensuring that learning continues in alternative arrangements without compromising the quality of education.

Strengths

• The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement and behaviour.
• Pupils develop strong relationships and understand diverse backgrounds.
• The curriculum is well-designed and ambitious, leading to strong pupil progress.
• Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and effective teaching strategies.
• The school effectively supports personal development and mental health.
• Strong provision for careers education prepares pupils well for the future.
• The sixth-form offers a well-delivered performing arts curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers' engagement strategies are not consistently effective.
• Not all misconceptions are quickly identified and addressed.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at King James Academy Royston attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.5% of pupils at King James Academy Royston were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 King James Academy Royston had 17.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 12.1% of pupils at King James Academy Royston were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 King James Academy Royston received £7,067 and spent £7,495 for each of its 939 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £456,000 (-£485 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust, income was £7,117 and spending £7,316 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Royston · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

King James Academy Royston is part of The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Roman Way Academy Royston
• Middlefield Primary Academy St Neots
• Winhills Primary Academy St Neots
• Wintringham Primary Academy St. Neots
• The Round House Primary Academy St Neots
• Great Staughton Primary Academy St Neots
• Kimbolton Primary Academy Huntingdon
• Glebelands Primary Academy Chatteris
• Thomas Eaton Primary Academy March
• Burrowmoor Primary Academy March

What is King James Academy Royston's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King James Academy Royston is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was King James Academy Royston last inspected by Ofsted?

King James Academy Royston was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does King James Academy Royston have?

King James Academy Royston has 947 pupils on roll.

What age range does King James Academy Royston cover?

King James Academy Royston for pupils aged 9 to 18.

What are King James Academy Royston's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 40.5, and 25% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are King James Academy Royston's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is King James Academy Royston?

King James Academy Royston is at Garden Walk, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 7JH.