Ridgeway Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–18 · Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
1.42 miles
In Priority Area, Nearest School · Published by Hertfordshire County Council · offers on 2 March 2026
Year 7 last distance offered, 2019–2026 (miles)
Ridgeway Academy is a secondary school in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire for ages 11–18 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 3 June 2025. Hertfordshire has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2015 to 2026 entry.
Ridgeway Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 1.42 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 1.36 mi |
| Year 7 2024 | 2.58 mi |
| Year 7 2023 | 1.32 mi |
| Year 7 2022 | 1.36 mi |
| Year 7 2021 | 1.36 mi |
| Year 7 2020 | 1.97 mi |
| Year 7 2019 | 1.25 mi |
| Year 7 2018 | 1.32 mi |
| Year 7 2017 | 1.29 mi |
| Year 7 2016 | 1.97 mi |
| Year 7 2015 | 11.30 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Year 7 entry in 2026 had 99 first-choice applications for 168 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 69 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- For children in the priority area, the last child offered a Year 7 place in 2026 lived 1.42 miles from the school, about the same as in 2025 and nearer than in 2015.
- In 2024/25, 25% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), with an Attainment 8 score of 35.7 (England 46).
- Its 2024/25 share getting grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths was the 3rd lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Hertfordshire.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Hertfordshire schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Herns Lane, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 2AF
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Hertfordshire
- Pupils on roll
- 875 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 33.1% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.6
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 3 June 2025
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive school.”
- “They consistently embody the school’s core values of respect, responsibility and relationships in their daily interactions.”
- “The school is now in a place where pupils feel both happy and supported.”
To improve
- “However, published outcomes at the end of the programmes of study do not reflect the positive changes made by the school.”
- “However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is not as clearly set out.”
- “As a result, in these subjects, teaching is less precise and pupils do not develop their knowledge as well as they might.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 8 July 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 25% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 35.7 | 46 |
| A level average grade (2024/25) | C- | B- |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 99 first-preference applications, 168 offers in total, 99 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Hertfordshire.
- Monk's Walk School 1.8 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Stanborough School 1.9 mi Good Last distance published
- The Sele School 3.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Onslow St Audrey's School 3.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Bishop's Hatfield Girls' School 3.6 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Richard Hale School 4.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Chancellor's School 5.2 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- The Chauncy School 5.8 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
More in Hertfordshire
- All 1,050 schools and nurseries in Hertfordshire
- Hertfordshire secondary schools in a table, sorted by results, Ofsted and offers
- Compare Hertfordshire with other areas: offers, results, crime, house prices and rents
- How Hertfordshire's secondary school cut-offs moved in 2026
- Schools in every council in England