Woodbridge Road Academy, Ipswich
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
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
SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2025/26 academic year
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
148%
Over capacity
89 pupils
60 capacity
29 places over capacity
Area Demand Pressure - Ipswich
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Ipswich
Admissions Demand - Suffolk
Places available
8,496
Applications
7,401
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
97.4%
Secondary admissions across Suffolk (2025/26)
Inspection History
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
Pupil Absence2024/25
16.15438%
Overall absence
38.75%
Persistent absence
80
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Reviews
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Woodbridge Road Academy
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich
St Helen's Primary School
Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery
Sidegate Primary School
St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich
St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich
Rose Hill Primary
Rushmere Hall Primary School
Britannia Primary School and Nursery
St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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