Roman Way Academy

Roman Way Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in all assessed areas. The school fosters a positive culture where pupils feel safe, motivated, and eager to learn. With a curriculum that is well-organized and ambitious, pupils are supported effectively, particularly those with special educational needs or disabilities. This is the school's first inspection under the Education Act 2005 since it converted to an academy in 2019. The trust overseeing the school has set high expectations and is actively involved in supporting school improvement.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a safe and positive learning environment.
• Well-organized and progressive curriculum from early years to Year 4.
• High expectations for pupil achievement are maintained across the school.
• Effective support systems for pupils with SEND ensure they access the curriculum successfully.
• Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and take pride in their achievements.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, curriculum expectations are not clearly defined, leading to inconsistent teaching.
• Certain year groups lack opportunities for pupils to apply their reading knowledge and develop fluency.

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 Roman Way Academy attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 3.8% of pupils at Roman Way Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Roman Way Academy had 19.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 18.3% of pupils at Roman Way Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Roman Way Academy received £7,179 and spent £6,769 for each of its 222 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £194,000 (£872 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 · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Roman Way Academy is part of The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• King James Academy Royston 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 Roman Way Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Roman Way Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Roman Way Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Roman Way Academy was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Roman Way Academy have?

Roman Way Academy has 219 pupils on roll.

What age range does Roman Way Academy cover?

Roman Way Academy for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Roman Way Academy?

Roman Way Academy is at Burns Road, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 5EQ.