Holbrook Academy, Ipswich

Ofsted's report card from its 23 June 2026 inspection grades Holbrook Academy on 6 areas: 3 expected standard and 3 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations for pupils' attendance."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "The school identifies pupils' needs well, including additional needs that emerge over time."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have established a broad programme for pupils' personal development."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Over time, too many pupils underperform in national tests and examinations."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have implemented quality assurance processes to improve the quality and consistency of curriculum and teaching."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should improve the precision with which they identify underlying causes of pupils' underachievement so that actions lead to pupils making consistently secure progress through the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that professional development is sharply aligned to improving teaching, and evaluate its impact through consistent improvements in pupils' achievement across all subjects and year groups"; "Leaders should establish and implement a coherent approach to assessment so that assessment information is used effectively to inform teaching, address pupils' misconceptions and improve pupils' academic outcomes, including in national examinations"; "Leaders should strengthen pupils' understanding of the protected characteristics so that inappropriate comments, including those relating to race, gender and appearance, are challenged and reported and become uncommon for pupils to experience".

In 2026, pupils at Holbrook Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 40.1, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Suffolk and 47 across England.

38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.

That is down from 41.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.61: 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 33.3, against 42.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 8.9 points.

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

For September 2026 entry, 69 families put Holbrook Academy as their first choice and 143 named it as one of their preferences, for 83 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Holbrook Academy are Ipswich Academy (3.1 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 40.3); Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy (3.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36); Chantry Academy (4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 36.7); and Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office (4.7 miles).

Holbrook Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.

Holbrook Academy is one of 11 schools run by East Anglian Schools Trust Ltd, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.6 in 2024/25.

25 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Holbrook Academy (as of September 2025): 72% would recommend the school, 80% say their child is happy there and 44% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (44%).

Of the 116 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 39% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Mixed (7%).

In 2026, 109 pupils (18.7%) received SEN support and 44 (7.5%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Holbrook Academy.

5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Academy (at), 90 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32).

In 2024/25, Holbrook Academy issued 108 suspensions, 18.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Holbrook Academy are Holbrook Primary School (0.1 miles) and Stutton Church of England Primary School (1.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.