Orwell Park School, Ipswich
Orwell Park School is an independent school for pupils aged 2 to 14 in Ipswich. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2025.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Orwell Park School in detail
Orwell Park School in its own words
Coming up: an admissions event on Monday 16 November 2026, an open day on Monday 16 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 27 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Suffolk
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to Orwell Park School are Ipswich High School (1.5 miles); Royal Hospital School (4.3 miles); St Joseph's College (4.7 miles, selective); and Ipswich School (5 miles, selective).
Ipswich High SchoolRoyal Hospital SchoolSt Joseph's CollegeIpswich School
Who goes there
In 2026, 63 pupils (37.7%) received SEN support and 2 (1.2%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Derby Road (Ipswich) Rail Station, about 3.4 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Orwell Park School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted.
Routine Inspection
18 November 2025
Educational Quality / Focused Compliance
21 September 2022
Regulatory Compliance
20 June 2018
Integrated
14 October 2014
About
Orwell Park School is a day and boarding preparatory school for boys and girls in the village of Nacton on the edge of Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk. Founded in 1868 in Lowestoft, the school currently accommodates around 300 boys and girls between the ages of 2½ and 13 years.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Latest from Orwell Park School
Scholarship Opportunities
2 Oct 2026
Orwell Park Celebrates Successful First Year as Part of the Benenden Family of Schools
2 Oct 2026
Orwell Park Achieves Five-Star Food Hygiene Rating
2 Oct 2026
Welcome to our new Head, Alex McCullough
8 Sep 2026
Cambridge Exam Success
24 Aug 2026
Muddy Stilettos Review
18 Aug 2026
From Orwell Park School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Orwell Park School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
54%
Available places
167 pupils
312 places
145 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Ipswich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ipswich
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
63
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
38.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
167
Total Pupils
96
Boys
71
Girls
2026 academic year
Questions parents ask about Orwell Park School
When was Orwell Park School last inspected?
Orwell Park School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2025.
How many pupils go to Orwell Park School?
Orwell Park School has around 167 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Orwell Park School?
Orwell Park School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Orwell Park School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Orwell Park School?
Orwell Park School is at Nacton, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP10 0ER.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)