School Chooser

Roman Way Academy

Primary · ages 3-9MixedAcademy219 pupilsNurseryRoystonHertfordshire
School Chooser Score
30
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 58, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 29% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#11,228 of 16,041 in England#288 in HertfordshireHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Attendance94.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
Places58 spare219 pupils, 277 places
Pupils per teacher19.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll219Census January 2026

Roman Way Academy is a sponsored academy in Royston for boys and girls aged 3 to 9. It has 219 pupils and room for 277. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 30 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 29% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Burns Road, Royston, SG8 5EQ01763 241535romanway.herts.sch.ukMrs Sital Shah headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 26 September 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places194 pupils for 300 places, 2024/25
65% full

106 places were empty (35% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 22% since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (34 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesApplied at allGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary606434– all offeredLA
2025 Primary606640– all offeredLA
2024 Primary604438– all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll219Census January 2026
Places27779% full
Pupils from low-income families18%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English16%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%40 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan8%17 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.79 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£55,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls117 / 102
White British pupils73%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 22.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (23), language and communications needs (20), Specific learning difficulty (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll219234214188177175
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals18%20%24%18%14%12%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language16%15%14%11%8%10%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–24%22%18%16%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–5%3%2%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils9.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.9%5.7%5.8%5.7%4.3%5.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%3.9%4.6%4.4%3.3%––
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%1.8%1.2%1.3%1.0%––
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.1%14.6%14.5%16.2%9.8%15.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate9.87.50.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers11.0full-time equivalent, 11 people
Pupils per teacher19.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£46,791
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.32024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,374England £7,128. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£7,140England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,180England £3,405
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £194k, £872 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£170kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,374spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m16912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate72 per 1,000 people21% lower than the England average
Typical house price£422,050North Hertfordshire
Nearest bus stop50 mRoysia Schools, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary Roman Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy990 m227No overall grade 202588Compare
King James Academy RoystonAcademy0.7 miles947Good 202448Compare
Tannery Drift SchoolCouncil0.7 miles320No overall grade 202590Compare
Icknield Walk First SchoolCouncil0.8 miles335No overall grade 202580Compare
Studlands Rise First SchoolCouncil1.0 miles170No overall grade 202487Compare
Bassingbourn Primary SchoolCouncil1.9 miles326No overall grade 20247Compare
Melbourn Primary SchoolCouncil2.4 miles357Report card 202643Compare
Meldreth Primary SchoolCouncil2.8 miles194No overall grade 202481Compare
Primary schools in HertfordshirePrimary schools in RoystonBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Roman Way Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats29%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 30 is 15 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 45 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Roman Way Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Mary's CofE Foundation Primary SchoolFoundation14.8 miles255Good 202280Compare
Eynesbury CofE C Primary SchoolChurch of England15.5 miles209Good 202448Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 30 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 30% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 58. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.14
2024/25; 168 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Roman Way Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Roman Way Academy scores 30 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 29% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 58, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Roman Way Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Roman Way Academy good at its last full inspection on 26 September 2023.

How many pupils does Roman Way Academy have?

219 pupils aged 3 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 277 places, so it is 79% full.

Is Roman Way Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 106 places were empty in 2024/25 (35% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Roman Way Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Roman Way Academy?

The average class had 23.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Burns Road, Royston, SG8 5EQ
Telephone
01763 241535
Website
www.romanway.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Sital Shah
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-9, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Hertfordshire
Ward
Royston Palace
Constituency
North East Hertfordshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2019 (new provision)
URN
147008 · LAESTAB 9192089 · UKPRN 10082928
Formerly
Roman Way First School
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from