Samuel Ryder Academy
Drakes Drive, St Albans, AL1 5AR
1,577 pupils · 104% of 1,520 capacity
- Phase
- All-through
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4–19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- SCHOLARS' EDUCATION TRUST
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 19.8%
Ofsted
Strong standard (2026) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Strong standard |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Strong standard |
| Achievement | Expected standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Strong standard |
| Early years | Strong standard |
| Post-16 | Expected standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 21 April 2026, published 9 July 2026. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 80% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 20% |
| Attainment 8 score | 56.5 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 69.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 81.6% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 40% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.05 first-choice applications per place (primary entry, Sept 2026 entry)
Roughly one first choice per place — 1 first-choice application per place (secondary entry, Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 60 | 63 | 156 | 60 |
| Sept 2026 entry | 140 | 140 | 670 | 140 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 60 | 49 | 135 | 60 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 145 | 134 | 714 | 145 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 47 | 44 | 138 | 47 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 142 | 151 | 763 | 142 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 48 | 40 | 135 | 48 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 167 | 173 | 778 | 167 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- London Academy 13 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Whitefriars School 15.8 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Wren Academy Finchley 17.2 km · Standards maintained (2025)
- St Mary's and St John's CofE School 17.4 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- Simon Balle All-Through School 17.8 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Preston Manor School 19.3 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.