The Ursuline Academy Ilford, Ilford

Ofsted's report card from its 24 February 2026 inspection grades The Ursuline Academy Ilford on 7 areas: 2 strong standard, 4 expected standard and 1 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve very well across the breadth of subjects."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils benefit from a rich and comprehensive personal development programme."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' overall attendance is broadly in line with the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders know the strengths of the curriculum and where it needs to improve."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders identify pupils' needs quickly and accurately."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear view of the school's strengths and the areas that need to improve."

Post 16 provision - Needs attention. "The quality of the curriculum and teaching is not consistent across all subjects in the sixth form."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that their strategies to improve how well students learn and achieve in the post-16 provision become embedded. Leaders and governors must maintain their robust oversight and ensure that improvements are enacted swiftly where needed"; "Leaders should continue to refine and strengthen inclusive approaches to teaching so that support is consistently well matched to the needs of all pupils"; "Leaders should build on current strategies so that their actions lead to rapid and notable improvements in attendance and persistent absence for all groups of pupils".

In its own words: "The Ursuline Academy Ilford is a vibrant, inclusive Catholic school dedicated to nurturing the spiritual, academic, and personal growth of every student. With a rich heritage rooted in the Ursuline tradition of service, our community is defined by a commitment to excellence, compassion, and a drive to empower young people to make a positive impact in the world."

From the headteacher's welcome: "At The Ursuline Academy Ilford, our greatest strength is our community; diverse, dynamic and united in purpose. As a small school, we know every student, value every voice, and believe deeply in the power of belonging. Together we live out the words of our school prayer: respecting each other, helping each other and bearing with each other in Jesus Christ."

On phones, the school says: "through inappropriate talking in class Students are not permitted to use mobile phones on site."

In 2026, pupils at The Ursuline Academy Ilford averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 55.7 in Redbridge and 47 across England.

60% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 63% in Redbridge and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 56.1.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.75: pupils made well 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 51.5, against 56.8 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.

For September 2026 entry, 97 families put The Ursuline Academy Ilford as their first choice and 323 named it as one of their preferences, for 119 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Ursuline Academy Ilford are Seven Kings School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 62); Valentines High School (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 57.3); Ark Isaac Newton Academy (1 mile, Outstanding, Attainment 8 60.7); and The Palmer Catholic Academy (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.5).

The Ursuline Academy Ilford's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Ursuline Academy Ilford (as of April 2026): 78% would recommend the school, 82% say their child is happy there and 40% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (82%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (40%).

Of the 121 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 98% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 13% to a further education college.

Of the 79 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 68% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 11% into work. 16% went to one of the most selective third of universities.

57.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (71%), Black (13%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 42 pupils (5.7%) received SEN support and 9 (1.2%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.

The nearest railway station is Ilford Station, about 370 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).

11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Coventry Road / Granville Road (->e), 100 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Ursuline Academy Ilford 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 754 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Redbridge (338), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, The Ursuline Academy Ilford issued 9 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Ursuline Academy Ilford are Christchurch Primary School (0.3 miles), Winston Way Academy (0.5 miles), Cleveland Road Primary School (0.6 miles) and Highlands Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.