Chantry Academy, Ipswich

From the headteacher's welcome: "Chantry Academy is a proud and purposeful community, that works closely with parents and carers to empower every student with the support, ambition and opportunities they need to thrive. Our academy is a thriving, fully inclusive secondary school at the heart of the Ipswich community."

Coming up: an open day on Friday 30 October 2026 and an open day on Wednesday 3 March 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at Chantry Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Suffolk and 47 across England.

36% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.

That is up from 33.9 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.51: pupils made well below 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 31.2, against 39.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 26 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Chemistry, Biology and Physics.

For September 2026 entry, 221 families put Chantry Academy as their first choice and 331 named it as one of their preferences, for 202 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 22 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Chantry Academy are Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36); Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office (1.6 miles); Westbourne Academy (2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 38.2); and Ipswich Academy (2.6 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.3).

Chantry Academy's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

Chantry Academy is one of 21 schools run by The Active Learning Trust Limited, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 36.8 in 2024/25.

Of the 176 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 88% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 44% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.

38.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 12.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (73%) and Mixed (15%).

In 2026, 170 pupils (16.9%) received SEN support and 88 (8.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Chantry Academy has a SEN unit for moderate learning difficulties: 24 places, 24 pupils on roll.

The nearest railway station is Ipswich Rail Station, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line.

18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sheldrake Drive (opposite), 150 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Chantry Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 220 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Chantry Academy issued 62 suspensions, 6.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Chantry Academy are St Mark's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles), The Willows Primary School (0.3 miles), The Oaks Primary School (0.4 miles) and Halifax Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.