Kesgrave High School, Ipswich

Ofsted's report card from its 22 September 2026 inspection grades Kesgrave High School on 7 areas: 2 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders have developed an inclusive and supportive culture."

Post-16 provision - Strong standard. "Students are proud to attend this ambitious, welcoming and inclusive sixth form."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Leaders have high expectations and aspirations for all pupils."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders maintain a clear oversight of pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have created a well-structured and ambitious curriculum."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a precise understanding of the school, its strengths and areas for development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Pupils develop holistically through a well-structured programme of personal development and wellbeing."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should continue their work on the attendance of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds so that this area of the school's work improves"; "Leaders should ensure that the quality of pupils' work consistently reflects their knowledge, understanding and capabilities across all subjects".

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

48% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.

That is down from 49.7 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.17: 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 38.2, against 48.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 10.4 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 32 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Social Studies and Business Studies.

For September 2026 entry, 338 families put Kesgrave High School as their first choice and 600 named it as one of their preferences, for 294 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 52 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Kesgrave High School are St Alban's Catholic High School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.3); Copleston High School (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.3); Northgate High School (2.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.5); and Farlingaye High School (3.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.2).

Kesgrave High School's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

Kesgrave High School 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.

Of the 307 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 93% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 28% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.

Of the 166 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 39% went on to university or other higher education, 13% to apprenticeships and 36% into work. 15% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

13.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (7%).

The nearest railway station is Entrance1, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High School (opposite), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Kesgrave High School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Kesgrave High School issued 169 suspensions, 9.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 5 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Kesgrave High School are Heath Primary School, Kesgrave (0.5 miles); Cedarwood Primary School (0.7 miles); Gorseland Primary School (0.8 miles); and Birchwood Primary School (1.2 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.