Samuel Ryder Academy, St Albans

Ofsted's report card from its 21 April 2026 inspection grades Samuel Ryder Academy on 8 areas: 6 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils enjoy attending school."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "The curriculum is well designed."

Early years - Strong standard. "The joy of discovery permeates the early years provision."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "In this highly inclusive school, everyone understands their role in identifying pupils' needs and reducing their barriers to learning."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have created an impressive climate for learning and ethos of mutual support and respect."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed a comprehensive and, to many pupils, inspirational personal development programme."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Over time, most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, achieve well."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have considered carefully the education and experiences that students receive in the sixth form."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that pupils in key stage 2 make rapid gains with their handwriting, checking the impact of the new scheme of learning as this embeds"; "Leaders should continue to strengthen the outcomes for high prior attainers"; "Leaders should develop further the depth of students' responses and learning in the sixth form so that outcomes in A-level examinations rise above those seen nationally and are sustained over time".

In 2026, pupils at Samuel Ryder Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 52.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 50.6 in Hertfordshire and 47 across England.

51% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 53% in Hertfordshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 56.5 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.35: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 35.6, against 57.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 21.9 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Business Studies and History.

For September 2026 entry, 140 families put Samuel Ryder Academy as their first choice and 670 named it as one of their preferences, for 140 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 32 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Samuel Ryder Academy are Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School (1.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 55); Verulam School (1.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.4); Beaumont School (1.2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 63); and Loreto College (1.3 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 56.2).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Samuel Ryder Academy.

Samuel Ryder Academy is one of 13 schools run by Scholars' Education Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 192 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 30% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 77 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 81% went on to university or other higher education, 4% to apprenticeships and 10% into work. 17% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

In 2026, 215 pupils (13.6%) received SEN support and 39 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.

The nearest railway station is St Albans City Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Samuel Ryder Academy (near), 100 metres away.

In 2024/25, Samuel Ryder Academy issued 192 suspensions, 12.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Samuel Ryder Academy are Windermere Primary School (0.4 miles), Cunningham Hill Junior School (0.4 miles), Cunningham Hill Infant School (0.4 miles) and Camp Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.