Ridgeway Academy

Ridgeway Academy is an inclusive secondary and sixth form where pupils enjoy school and feel happy and supported. Inspectors found all inspected areas to be good, with safeguarding effective, and the school has improved since its previous inspection. Pupils understand high expectations, lessons are calm, and relationships between staff and pupils are positive. An ambitious curriculum is in place, staff are well trained, SEND support is effective, and reading is prioritised. Sixth-form students benefit from a well-thought-out programme and careers support, and pupils access a broad range of clubs and activities. However, published outcomes at the end of programmes of study do not yet reflect the improvements made. In a few subjects, curriculum content and sequencing are not clearly set out, so teaching is less precise and pupils do not develop knowledge as well. Assessment checks are sometimes not precise or timely enough, meaning gaps in pupils’ knowledge can go unidentified. Attendance is also a concern: many pupils, including sixth-form students, do not attend regularly enough and miss valuable learning. Leaders and the trust are passionate and have a clear shared vision. Staff are proud to work at the school and value training and workload consideration. The school became part of Ambition Education Trust after a merger in September 2024, which is relevant context for its current improvement journey.

Strengths

• Inclusive school where pupils feel happy and supported
• Pupils consistently embody the school’s core values of respect, responsibility and relationships
• Ambitious and broad curriculum in place for all pupils
• Effective training helps teachers deliver the curriculum well
• Consistent routines and clear explanations support all pupils, including those with SEND
• Strong SEND identification and support helps pupils overcome barriers to learning
• Reading is prioritised and struggling readers receive effective support
• Positive staff-pupil relationships and calm classrooms support learning
• Behaviour policy is followed consistently and suspensions are reducing
• Broad range of clubs, activities and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions enhance learning and confidence
• Sixth-form students benefit from a well-thought-out personal development programme and careers support
• Leaders and the trust have a clear shared vision and staff are proud to work at the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• A small number of subject curriculums lack clearly identified content and logical sequencing
• Assessment checks are sometimes not precise or timely enough, allowing gaps in pupils’ knowledge to go unidentified
• Many pupils, including sixth-form students, do not attend school regularly enough
• Published outcomes do not yet reflect the positive changes made by the school

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 Ridgeway Academy attended 88.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.1% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Ridgeway Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Ridgeway Academy had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.8% 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, 19.9% of pupils at Ridgeway Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% 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 Ridgeway Academy received £8,920 and spent £8,769 for each of its 929 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £782,000 (£842 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Ambition Education Trust, income was £8,105 and spending £7,965 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 Welwyn Garden City · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

Ridgeway Academy is part of Ambition Education Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Beech Hyde Primary School and Nursery St. Albans
• Skyswood Primary & Nursery School St Albans
• Sandringham School St Albans
• Wheatfields Junior Mixed School St Albans
• Wheatfields Infants' and Nursery School St. Albans
• Verulam School St Albans
• St Albans Girls' School St Albans
• Garden Fields Junior Mixed and Infant School St Albans
• Alban City School St Albans
• The Adeyfield Academy Hemel Hempstead

What is Ridgeway Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ridgeway Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Ridgeway Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ridgeway Academy was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Ridgeway Academy have?

Ridgeway Academy has 875 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ridgeway Academy cover?

Ridgeway Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Ridgeway Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.4, and 27% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Ridgeway Academy?

Ridgeway Academy is at Herns Lane, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2AF.