Ridgeway Academy
Herns Lane, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 2AF
875 pupils · 72% of 1,220 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- AMBITION EDUCATION TRUST
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 33.5%
Ofsted
No overall grade (2025) — Inspected 2024–2025 — no overall grade under the interim framework
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 3 June 2025, published 7 July 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 35.7 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 24.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 48.4% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 15.7% |
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?
Usually has places available — 0.59 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 168 | 99 | 278 | 141 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 168 | 88 | 246 | 131 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 173 | 105 | 313 | 145 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 194 | 174 | 399 | 191 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 172 | 168 | 396 | 172 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 177 | 176 | 422 | 177 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 177 | 206 | 405 | 177 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 207 | 167 | 391 | 186 |
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
- Monk's Walk School 3 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Stanborough School 3.1 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- The Sele School 5.3 km · No overall grade (2025)
- Onslow St Audrey's School 5.5 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School 5.8 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- Richard Hale School 7.1 km · Good (2024) · 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.