Woodbridge Road Academy, Ipswich
Woodbridge Road Academy is a special school for pupils aged 9 to 16 in Ipswich, part of Paradigm Trust.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Woodbridge Road Academy in detail
Woodbridge Road Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Find out more about Woodbridge Road Academy, the way we are run and what we do as a school. Every child is entitled to a good education, with equal access to knowledge, skills, opportunities, aspirations, life chances and dignity."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include Lego, art, sewing and film.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Woodbridge Road Academy are Redstone Hall School (0.7 miles); Sir Bobby Robson School (1.9 miles, Good); Stone Lodge Academy (2 miles, Good); and New Skill Centre (2.2 miles, Good).
Redstone Hall SchoolSir Bobby Robson SchoolStone Lodge AcademyNew Skill Centre
The trust
Woodbridge Road Academy is one of 7 schools run by Paradigm Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Woodbridge Road Academy (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 85% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child does well at the school (77%).
Who goes there
39.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 2.2% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Mixed (7%).
Almost every pupil at Woodbridge Road Academy has an education, health and care plan (89 of 89 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Woodbridge Road Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 73 places, 86 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance2, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rivers Street (adjacent), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 382 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 Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Woodbridge Road Academy issued 17 suspensions, 22.7 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at transforming pupils' experiences of education - many pupils arrive having had difficult times at school, but staff help them develop real confidence and resilience. The school goes far beyond academics, offering amazing opportunities like sailing, climbing, work experience, and Duke of Edinburgh awards, while also ensuring pupils get strong foundations in English and maths. Staff are exceptionally skilled at supporting pupils' emotional wellbeing and behaviour, creating calm, purposeful classrooms where pupils feel safe and happy.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour support and emotional regulation - staff skilfully help pupils settle and feel calm, creating purposeful and positive classrooms
- Ambitious, well-adapted curriculum with strong foundations in English and mathematics, tailored to fill gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Comprehensive personal development through work experience, Duke of Edinburgh awards, sporting competitions, sailing, climbing, and visits (e.g. Buddhist temple)
- Highly effective careers guidance programme helping pupils make informed choices about post-16 courses and employment
- Outstanding leadership and management with strong professional development for staff and close links with parents and carers
Areas for Improvement
- Activity choices do not always precisely meet pupils' needs, particularly where there have been recent curriculum changes, affecting how securely pupils acquire knowledge
- Need to build on teachers' subject pedagogical knowledge to ensure consistently appropriate activity choices for pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Work experience, Duke of Edinburgh awards, sporting competitions, climbing, sailing, school garden, wide range of clubs, Buddhist temple visits
Woodbridge Road Academy is a special school for pupils with communication and interaction needs, where staff provide relentlessly positive support to help pupils make huge strides in resilience, confidence, and attitudes to learning. The school offers an ambitious, broad curriculum adapted to meet individual pupil needs, with pupils achieving well from their starting points.
At a Glance
39.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from Woodbridge Road Academy
July Newsletter
20 Jul 2026
Duke of Edinburgh 2026
15 Jul 2026
May Newsletter
22 May 2026
Exploring the past
30 Apr 2026
March Newsletter
27 Mar 2026
Sponsored Read Brings More Books
25 Mar 2026
From Woodbridge Road Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Woodbridge Road Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Woodbridge Road Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Woodbridge Road 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
5 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
148%
Over capacity
89 pupils
60 places
29 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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
89
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Woodbridge Road Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 73 places, 86 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
89
Total Pupils
63
Boys
26
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
4.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,476
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
16.2%
Overall absence
38.8%
Persistent absence
80
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
Woodbridge Road Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Woodbridge Road Academy
What are GCSE results like at Woodbridge Road Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Woodbridge Road Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 8.1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is the catchment area for Woodbridge Road Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Woodbridge Road Academy is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Woodbridge Road Academy?
Woodbridge Road Academy has around 89 pupils on roll. 39% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Woodbridge Road Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Woodbridge Road Academy has a resourced provision for autism: 73 places, 86 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Woodbridge Road Academy?
16.2% of sessions were missed at Woodbridge Road Academy in 2024/25. 38.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Woodbridge Road Academy?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Woodbridge Road 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.
How many road collisions happen near Woodbridge Road Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 12 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 5 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 Woodbridge Road Academy?
Woodbridge Road Academy is at 50 Russet Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2EB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)