Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #51 in Norfolk public Top 41% UK

The Open Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Jon Ford

corporate_fareTHE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onNorwich, NR7 9DL

language Visit Website phone 1603481640

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

601

trending_up

Attainment 8

36.7

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GCSE Rank

#51 in Norfolk

#2,901 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Open Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Norwich, serving ages 11-19. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Open Academy is an academy sponsor led in Norwich, Norfolk, admitting pupils aged 11-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 560 pupils on roll, of whom 40% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 36.7, placing the school #51 in Norfolk and #2,901 of 3,216 nationally. 34.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 10 A-level subjects. 14.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 2.4% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.46 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 15.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 21.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

36.7

Grade 5+ E&M

34.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.9%

Entering EBacc64.40%

EBacc APS3.16

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.46

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

34.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc71.30%

EBacc APS3.12

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.58

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc71%

EBacc APS3.09

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.28

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc74%

EBacc APS3.73

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc15%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

40.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc7%

EBacc APS3.31

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.34

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS3.46

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)86%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

87%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.46

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*2.4%

Achieving A*–A2.4%

Achieving A*–B14.3%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate92.9%

A-level subjects offered10

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.75

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

D-

Students

Retention rate90.00%

2023

Avg Grade

D-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 March 2023

Inspection Report

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21 June 2022

Inspection Report

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06 November 2018

Inspection Report

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23 April 2015

Inspection Report

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28 January 2015

Inspection Report

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12 June 2013

Inspection Report

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06 December 2011

Inspection Report

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16 June 2011

Inspection Report

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17 November 2010

Inspection Report

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04 November 2009

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-03-28

Schools with Serious Weaknesses Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2022-06-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Inadequate

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Inadequate

2018-11-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-04-23

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

15.9%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

6.1%(34 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

2pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 560 pupils. During this period, there were 89 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 15.9%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	560	89	15.9%	7.3%	2
2024/25 (Autumn term)	560	152	27.1%	7.8%	1
2023/24 (Summer term)	572	72	12.6%	7.4%	1
2023/24 (Spring term)	578	73	12.6%	7.1%	3
2023/24 (Autumn term)	576	143	24.8%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	587	132	22.5%	6.6%	1
2022/23 (Spring term)	601	122	20.3%	6.4%	2
2022/23 (Autumn term)	601	116	19.3%	5.9%	4
2021/22 (Summer term)	588	116	19.7%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	588	116	19.7%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	586	61	10.4%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	592	41	6.9%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	591	5	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	594	64	10.8%	3.9%	4
2019/20 (Summer term)	611	2	0.3%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	611	43	7.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	618	89	14.4%	4.2%	5
2018/19 (Summer term)	600	60	10.0%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	608	43	7.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	617	60	9.7%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	594	17	2.9%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	607	30	4.9%	3.0%	2
2017/18 (Autumn term)	616	58	9.4%	3.7%	2
2016/17 (Summer term)	611	25	4.1%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	615	26	4.2%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	620	44	7.1%	3.1%	2

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 72 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 60 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 28 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 16 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Profound & Multiple Learning 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils