Stone Lodge Academy, Ipswich
Stone Lodge Academy is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Ipswich, part of Eastern Education Group Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Stone Lodge Academy in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Stone Lodge Academy are The Bridge School (1.2 miles, Good); Redstone Hall School (1.3 miles); Woodbridge Road Academy (2 miles); and Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy (2.5 miles, Good).
The Bridge SchoolRedstone Hall SchoolWoodbridge Road AcademyThomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy
The trust
Stone Lodge Academy is one of 10 schools run by Eastern Education Group Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
29 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Stone Lodge Academy (as of September 2025): 79% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (83%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 27 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 41% to a further education college.
Who goes there
45.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 17.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Stone Lodge Academy has an education, health and care plan (175 of 175 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ipswich Rail Station, about 950 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stone Lodge Lane West (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Stone Lodge 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 276 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Stone Lodge Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Stone Lodge Academy has made significant improvements to safeguarding with new leadership creating a culture where staff are confident to report concerns and pupils know they can turn to trusted adults. The school is prioritizing reading with more frequent, targeted support that is already showing positive impact. Leaders are working closely with families and external agencies to improve attendance and create better educational opportunities for all pupils.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding culture has undergone significant transformation with swift intervention and improved staff training
- New leadership with special educational needs expertise has brought sharper oversight and stronger accountability
- Reading has been prioritized with more frequent, targeted support helping pupils make progress
- Attendance systems have been strengthened with more rigorous follow-up and family engagement
- Governance has improved with trustees receiving specific training to ask more searching questions
Areas for Improvement
- Quality of education remains at early stages of comprehensive improvement across the curriculum
- Persistent absence is still too high for some pupils despite recent improvements
- School needs to continue embedding new systems for attendance and working with families on root causes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has completed a thorough root-and-branch transformation including specialist reviews, improved training, and close analysis of patterns and incidents, resulting in pupils feeling safer.
Stone Lodge Academy was designated as having serious weaknesses in January 2025. This monitoring inspection in October 2025 found that leaders have made progress in improving the school, but more work is necessary before the serious weaknesses designation can be removed.
At a Glance
45.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
29 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Stone Lodge Academy
Before and after school care
Stone Lodge Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Suffolk
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Stone Lodge Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Stone Lodge Academy is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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
101%
Over capacity
175 pupils
173 places
2 pupils over capacity
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.
Inspection History(4)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
175
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
175
Total Pupils
111
Boys
64
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
8.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,542
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.4%
Overall absence
31.3%
Persistent absence
176
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Stone Lodge Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Stone Lodge Academy
What are GCSE results like at Stone Lodge Academy?
In the 2025 results, pupils at Stone Lodge Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 0.4. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Stone Lodge Academy's Ofsted rating?
Stone Lodge Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Stone Lodge Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Stone Lodge Academy is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Stone Lodge Academy?
Stone Lodge Academy has around 175 pupils on roll. 45% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Stone Lodge Academy?
11.4% of sessions were missed at Stone Lodge Academy in 2024/25. 31.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Stone Lodge Academy?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Stone Lodge Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Stone Lodge Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Stone Lodge Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Stone Lodge Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 10 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Stone Lodge Academy?
Stone Lodge Academy is at Stone Lodge Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9HW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)