Attleborough Academy, Attleborough

Ofsted's report card from its 3 March 2026 inspection grades Attleborough Academy on 7 areas: 4 strong standard and 3 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders prioritise pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders have a precise understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have created a strong culture of inclusion."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders have designed a comprehensive programme for pupils' personal development."

Achievement - Expected standard. "From typically lower than national average starting points, pupils achieve well."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including trustees, have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for further improvement."

Post 16 provision - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the 16-to-19 study programme."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Trustees should strengthen their oversight of safeguarding by assuring themselves that safeguarding records consistently provide a clear chronology of concerns, actions, and decisions taken so that patterns of risk can be identified and acted upon promptly"; "Leaders should continue to embed and sustain improvements to the curriculum and teaching so that pupils achieve highly, including in national examinations, across all key stages".

In its own words: "We believe that all children and young people have the right to be healthy, happy and safe, to be loved, valued and respected and to have high aspirations for their future. Our vision is to be the best we can be, to have aspirational, happy and successful students and to have inspirational, happy and successful staff."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Attleborough Academy (AA) is an inclusive, friendly and effective learning community with high aspirations and a reputation for innovation. Excellent relationships between students and staff are at the heart of the ethos of the Academy and are often commented on by those who come in to visit."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cricket, drama, ukulele, chess, robotics, STEM, art, knitting, film and Duke of Edinburgh.

In 2026, pupils at Attleborough Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.8, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45 in Norfolk and 47 across England.

33% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Norfolk and 47% in England.

That is up from 41.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.27: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 36.5, against 44.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.

For September 2026 entry, 144 families put Attleborough Academy as their first choice and 246 named it as one of their preferences, for 148 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Attleborough Academy are Wymondham College (2.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 56.7); Old Buckenham High School (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2); and Wymondham High Academy (5.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.9).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Attleborough Academy.

Attleborough Academy is one of 23 schools run by Sapientia Education Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9 in 2024/25.

101 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Attleborough Academy (as of April 2026): 86% would recommend the school, 75% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (86%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).

Of the 177 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 42% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

Of the 71 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 45% went on to university or other higher education, 6% to apprenticeships and 32% into work. 14% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

10.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Attleborough Rail Station, about 610 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is high school (opposite), 150 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 53 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Attleborough Academy issued 73 suspensions, 7.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Attleborough Academy are Attleborough Primary School (0.1 miles) and Rosecroft Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.