OFSTED
19 November 2024
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Not judged
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership & management
Good
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
14 September 2023
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
Published
19 October 2023
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
1,603
1,603 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
828
51.7% of pupils
Male pupils
775
48.3% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
6.1 pts
below England
School
18.7%
Babergh
18.3%
East of England
19.7%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
15.3 pts
below England
School
5.0%
Babergh
5.2%
East of England
16.4%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
2.7 pts
above England
School
3.7%
Babergh
1.8%
East of England
1.7%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
White British
85.0%
1,362
Any other White background
4.9%
78
Unclassified
3.7%
60
Any other Mixed background
1.6%
26
White and Asian
0.9%
15
White and Black Caribbean
0.9%
15
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
17.7%
284 of
1,603 pupils
3.1 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
1.7 pts
below
England
6.0%
1.4 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
46.1
6.9 pts
above England
Latest published: 0.21 · 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
8.34%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
2.12 pts
higher than
England
School
8.34%
Babergh
5.86%
East of England
6.17%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
21.51%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
5.69 pts
higher than
England
School
21.51%
Babergh
14.08%
East of England
15.39%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
4.34%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
2.54 pts
higher than
England
School
4.34%
Babergh
1.50%
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
114.5%
22.2 pts
above England
Thomas Gainsborough School
114.5%
Babergh
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.