King James Academy Royston Review 2026: All through schooling with a performing arts sixth form pathway

A school that spans the jump from Year 5 to post 16 is unusual in Hertfordshire, and that structure shapes daily life here. Pupils join at Year 5, move onto the adjacent senior site for Year 7, and a small sixth form offer sits on a separate site, with a specialist performing arts route delivered through the Stage Right Centre for the Performing Arts.

The latest Ofsted inspection, published in September 2024 after visits in April and July 2024, judged the academy to be Good in every area, including sixth form provision.

For families, the headline question is fit rather than prestige. GCSE outcomes place the school in line with the middle 35% of secondary schools in England, while primary outcomes look more mixed, with above average attainment at expected standard sitting alongside a lower national ranking. The underlying story is of a school with clear ambition, strong careers and enrichment provision, and a practical, community facing approach to facilities and sport.

The academy sets out its priorities plainly, Inspiring excellence, building character, and it backs that up with structures designed to give pupils a sense of belonging across a wide age range. Houses run from Year 5 through Year 11, with four named houses, Dragon, Griffin, Pegasus, and Phoenix, and regular inter house events that pull together pupils who would otherwise have little contact day to day.

Leadership is clearly signposted. The senior leadership team listing names Zoe Andrews as Headteacher, with a separate Head of School for the primary phase, which matters in an all through setting where Year 5 routines differ sharply from Year 10 expectations.

The most recent inspection evidence also highlights a settled culture of respect and safety, alongside an emphasis on aspiration. Pupils are described as understanding difference well and approaching learning with ambition, and the school’s wider development offer is presented as a strength, including leadership roles such as sports leaders and student council membership.

A distinctive recent context is the storm damage that affected parts of both the junior and senior sites in early 2024. The published inspection record notes a period of off site and online education, and some ongoing use of temporary classrooms during repairs, which is important context for families assessing facilities and continuity.

Primary outcomes (Key Stage 2)

In 2024, 67.3% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined. At the higher standard, 20% achieved greater depth, compared with an England average of 8%.

Ranked 11,342nd in England and 9th in Royston for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), performance sits below England average overall. The ranking position places it in the bottom 40% of primary schools in England on this measure.

The detail suggests a school that is getting a majority of pupils to the expected standard, with a meaningful higher attaining group, even if the overall profile does not place it among the strongest performers nationally.

GCSE outcomes (Key Stage 4)

Ranked 2,425th in England and 2nd in Royston for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school’s GCSE performance is in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The Attainment 8 score is 42.7, and Progress 8 is +0.19, which indicates students make above average progress from their starting points. EBacc average point score is 3.8, with 13.5% achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc subjects.

The inspection narrative adds helpful colour on direction of travel, reporting that the English Baccalaureate suite has historically been low but has risen sharply, with almost half of pupils now taking these qualifications, alongside strengthened modern foreign language provision.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes alongside nearby schools, using consistent measures across England.

Curriculum intent is framed as ambitious, with an emphasis on knowledge retention and revisiting prior learning. The inspection evidence describes a well designed curriculum and a teaching model where checking what pupils know is used to close gaps, although it also identifies inconsistency in how effectively some teachers engage pupils and adapt teaching, including for pupils with SEND.

Subject pages show practical specificity. In English, for example, Key Stage 3 includes Shakespeare in Year 7 and a structured journey through texts that build towards Key Stage 4, including a Year 9 sequence that names Of Mice & Men, Blood Brothers, and Romeo & Juliet.

Languages is another area where the academy puts concrete enrichment behind the curriculum. The modern foreign languages department describes an annual residential trip to France, links with a partner school in Belfort, and pen pal correspondence for Year 8, which gives language learning a real world anchor rather than being only exam driven.

At Key Stage 4, the school also runs structured study support routes such as ASDAN short course work, which can suit students who benefit from portfolio style evidence and coached independence in organisation and planning.

The published picture is of a small sixth form cohort, with most leavers moving on to university. For the 2023 to 2024 leaver cohort, 92% progressed to university, and 8% moved into employment.

The inspection record suggests the sixth form offer is specialist, with students following a performing arts curriculum delivered through the Stage Right Centre for the Performing Arts, supported by staff with vocational expertise and links to industry professionals.

In practical terms, this implies a sixth form best suited to students who want a focused pathway and hands on insight into creative industries, rather than a broad A level menu. Families considering post 16 should ask specifically which qualifications are currently offered, how timetables split between sites, and what progression routes are most common.

Admissions are coordinated through Hertfordshire, with different entry points depending on your child’s age. The academy states that Year 5 intake typically draws from local feeder first schools, with most pupils continuing through to Year 7, and it also notes that in year places can arise.

For Year 7 entry in September 2026, Hertfordshire’s coordinated admissions timeline sets the closing date at 31 October 2025, with national allocation day on 2 March 2026.

For Year 5 entry in September 2026, the Hertfordshire timeline for primary, junior and middle transfers lists the on time deadline as 15 January 2026, with allocations released on 16 April 2026.

Demand signals are mixed by phase. The latest recorded Year 5 entry route is marked as undersubscribed, with 7 offers made. Where families are weighing chances of entry, the FindMySchool Map Search can help you understand your likely travel distance and practical route, even where last distance allocation figures are not published for the school.

Pastoral provision is structured around inclusion roles and access points. The staff listing includes a Wellbeing Centre Manager and a Wellbeing and Safeguarding Coordinator, alongside separate SEND coordination for primary and secondary phases, which is a sensible design in an all through school where needs and routines change significantly from Year 5 to Year 11.

The academy also describes Student Services on the senior site as a place where Year 7 to Year 11 pupils can access support independently, with younger pupils supported more directly by class teachers and the office team.

Ofsted also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The school’s enrichment offer is best understood in three strands, leadership, creative pathways, and sport and facilities.

Leadership opportunities are explicitly described as part of the school’s wider development provision, including sports leaders and student council roles, plus participation in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme. Trips are positioned as a norm rather than a rarity, including residentials, trips abroad, and theatre and museum visits, and some extra curricular activities are organised and led by pupils with staff support.

Creative and performing arts are unusually central for a mainstream state school because of the specialist sixth form pathway. Even if your child is not aiming for that route, the presence of a Stage Right Centre partnership and industry input tends to lift expectations around performance, production, and rehearsal discipline.

Sport and facilities are a visible pillar. The academy hires out a large sports hall, a floodlit 3G pitch, grass football pitches, and a broad set of indoor and specialist spaces including a drama studio, engineering room, food technology room, learning resource centre library, tennis courts, and a sports pavilion and changing rooms.

The academy operates across multiple sites, with Years 5 and 6 on a junior site, Years 7 to 11 on the adjacent senior site, and sixth form provision on a separate site on Lumen Road, with performing arts delivery through the Stage Right Centre for the Performing Arts.

Published guidance on the school day focuses on punctuality routines, including line ups in the morning for Years 5 and 6 with class teachers and for Years 7 to 9 with tutors, plus warning bells at break and lunch to support orderly transitions.

For travel, the academy notes that there is ample on site parking for visitors and facility users, which is helpful context for families attending events and performances.

Wraparound care arrangements are not clearly set out in the published material for the junior phase; families should confirm availability directly if breakfast or after school provision is a requirement.

• All through structure. Joining at Year 5 suits families who like continuity through Year 11 and potentially beyond, but it can feel different from a traditional primary to secondary transition. Ask how Year 6 to Year 7 transition is handled for internal pupils versus new joiners.

• Sixth form breadth. The sixth form model described publicly is specialist performing arts, which can be excellent for the right student but is not a general purpose post 16 offer. Confirm the current qualification mix and progression routes before relying on it.

• Teaching consistency. External evaluation recognises a strong curriculum and positive culture, while also identifying that teaching approaches are not consistently effective in engaging pupils and meeting SEND needs. Families with children who need highly tailored classroom adaptations should explore support plans carefully.

• Recent disruption. Storm damage led to off site and online education during 2024, with some temporary accommodation still in use during repairs. It is worth asking what remains affected and how space constraints are being managed.

King James Academy Royston is a pragmatic, community rooted all through school with a clear character framework, strong facilities, and a distinctive performing arts pathway at sixth form. GCSE outcomes are broadly typical for England on the school’s ranking measure, with signs of above average student progress, while primary outcomes are more mixed, with a meaningful higher attaining group. Best suited to families who value continuity from Year 5, want a structured ethos through the house system, and can see a good match in the specialist post 16 route for performing arts focused students.