OFSTED
1 November 2022
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy converter
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Suffolk
Trust
UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
1,076
1,076 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
540
50.2% of pupils
Male pupils
536
49.8% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
7.5 pts
below England
School
17.3%
West Suffolk
18.6%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
2.4 pts
below England
School
17.9%
West Suffolk
12.8%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
0.3 pts
below England
School
0.7%
West Suffolk
2.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
71.4%
768
Any other White background
7.9%
85
Indian
4.0%
43
Any other Mixed background
3.3%
36
African
2.6%
28
Unclassified
2.6%
28
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
16.0%
172 of
1,076 pupils
4.8 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
2.2 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.6 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
43.8
4.6 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.23 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
10.09%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
3.88 pts
higher than
England
School
10.09%
West Suffolk
6.34%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
26.26%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
10.44 pts
higher than
England
School
26.26%
West Suffolk
15.50%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
5.02%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
3.22 pts
higher than
England
School
5.02%
West Suffolk
2.17%
East of England
1.83%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
86.1%
6.2 pts
below England
Samuel Ward Academy
86.1%
West Suffolk
90.4%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.