King James Academy Royston

North Hertfordshire · SG8 7JH

General information All-through School · 9-18 years Who goes here 947 pupils, 18.6% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.1% on SEN support Behaviour 7.9% absence rate Staff 25.5% turnover Financials £7,100 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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King James Academy Royston

General Information

Address: Garden Walk, Royston, SG8 7JH – View on map
Phone: 01763242236
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Zoe Andrews
Age range: 9-18 years
Demand for places (Year 7, September 2026): 3 families put it first for 6 places – 5 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 0 · 2024 0 · 2025 0 · 2026 5
Sixth form: Yes
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

947 pupils out of 1321 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 176
% eligible for free school meals: 18.6%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the North Hertfordshire average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 25.5% a year (North Hertfordshire 13.3%, typical in England 15.5%)
Where they went: about 26% moved to another school, 74% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 141 (1.5 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.7)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 212 (2.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 1.9)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 86 (0.9 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.8)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state secondary schools in Hertfordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 20.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 12.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 47 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 34 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 13 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 11 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 5 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 13 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 5 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

SecondaryGCSE results, Year 11

Attainment 8 score: 40.3
Compared with the area: 8.9 points below the North Hertfordshire average (49.2)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (−6.1 points against an expected 46.4)
Grade 4+ in English and maths: 53% (North Hertfordshire 70%, England 65%) Falling
Data year: 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

GCSE results over time

This schoolNorth Hertfordshire averageEngland↘ Falling Down 4.4 points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 8.9 points below the North Hertfordshire average (49.2).

About the Attainment 8 score

Attainment 8 measures a pupil's average result across 8 GCSE-equivalent qualifications (English and maths count double). It shows how pupils performed, not how much progress they made getting there - a school with a higher score doesn't necessarily add more value, since pupils often arrive with different starting points. Progress 8 is the measure designed to account for that, but it currently can't be calculated for any school for the two most recent academic years, due to a nationwide gap in the data caused by COVID-19 disruption to Key Stage 2 testing.

6th of 7 all-through schools in North Hertfordshire for Attainment 8

#4The Priory School48.5
#5The Highfield School41.7
#6King James Academy Royston40.3
#7Fearnhill School38.9

Click to see the full ranking

Attainment 8 ranking

Illustrative MVP scores - not based on verified data yet.

Rank School Score

#1Hitchin Girls' School57.8
#2Hitchin Boys' School57.1
#3The Knights Templar School48.5
#4The Priory School48.5
#5The Highfield School41.7
#6King James Academy Royston40.3
#7Fearnhill School38.9

Leaver Destinations

In education, employment, or training a year later: 92.0%
Went into further education: 87.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About leaver destinations

This shows where a school's Year 11 leavers were recorded the following year - in a "sustained" destination means in education, an apprenticeship, or employment for at least 6 months, not just enrolled briefly. It's a different picture from exam results alone, and can highlight schools that support pupils well beyond just their GCSE grades.

GCSE Subjects Offered

Maths (General)
English Language
English Literature
Science Double Award
Geography
History
Food Technology
Spanish
Religious Studies
Sports Studies
Art & Design
D & T
Computer Science
Biology
Chemistry (General)
Physics (General)
Speech & Drama

About this subject list

This isn't the school's own description of its curriculum - it's real DfE exam entry data, showing which GCSE subjects this school's pupils were actually entered for in 2024/25. A subject not appearing here may still be taught but had no pupils entered that year, so treat this as a helpful guide rather than a complete guarantee - it's worth confirming directly with the school for the year your child would actually study.

PrimaryYear 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 51% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 2% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 11 percentage points below the North Hertfordshire average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 53% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 53%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 72% · Writing 73% · Maths 59% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 64%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 102
Based on: 163 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolNorth Hertfordshire averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 11 percentage points below the North Hertfordshire average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 32nd of 40 junior and primary schools in the area

=28Purwell Primary School57%
=28Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
#32King James Academy Royston51%
=33Kimpton Primary School50%
=33Weston Primary & Nursery School50%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Offley Endowed Primary School and Nursery80%
#2Round Diamond Primary School79%
#3William Ransom Primary School78%
#4Norton St Nicholas CofE (VA) Primary School77%
=5Samuel Lucas Primary School75%
=5St Ippolyts Church of England Aided Primary School75%
#7Ashwell Primary School74%
#8Whitehill Junior School72%
=9St Paul's Walden Primary School71%
=9Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant School71%
#11Wilshere-Dacre Junior Academy70%
=12Codicote Church of England Primary School69%
=12St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School69%
=14Highover Primary School68%
=14St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Hitchin68%
=14Stonehill School68%
=17Cockernhoe Endowed CofE Primary School67%
=17Ickleford Primary School67%
#19Pirton School65%
=20Hartsfield Junior Mixed and Infant School64%
=20Knebworth Primary and Nursery School64%
=20Lordship Farm Primary School64%
=20The Grange Academy64%
#24Wilbury Junior School63%
#25St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School62%
=26Garden City Academy61%
=26St John Roman Catholic Primary School61%
=28Breachwood Green Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
=28Our Lady Catholic Primary School57%
=28Purwell Primary School57%
=28Sandon Junior Mixed and Infant School57%
#32King James Academy Royston51%
=33Kimpton Primary School50%
=33Weston Primary & Nursery School50%
#35Oughton Primary and Nursery School48%
#36Mary Exton Primary School40%
#37Graveley Primary School38%
#38St Mary's Junior Mixed School35%
#39Pixmore Junior School30%
#40Preston Primary School27%

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 4 all-through schools in North Hertfordshire for Ofsted rating

#1King James Academy RoystonGood
#2The Highfield SchoolGood
#3The Knights Templar SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1King James Academy RoystonGood
#2The Highfield SchoolGood
#3The Knights Templar SchoolGood
#4The Priory SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,100 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

7th of 7 all-through schools in North Hertfordshire for spending per pupil

#5The Knights Templar School£7,682
#6Hitchin Girls' School£7,404
#7King James Academy Royston£7,100

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1The Priory School£8,424
#2Fearnhill School£8,119
#3The Highfield School£8,064
#4Hitchin Boys' School£7,962
#5The Knights Templar School£7,682
#6Hitchin Girls' School£7,404
#7King James Academy Royston£7,100

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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General Information

Who goes here

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Behaviour

Across Hertfordshire: suspensions by reason

Attendance

SEN

Most common needs - SEN Support

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Educational Attainment

Attainment 8 ranking

Leaver Destinations ?

GCSE Subjects Offered ?

Year 6 SATs ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Financials

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Leaver Destinations

GCSE Subjects Offered