Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #13 in Suffolk public Top 21% UK

St Alban's Catholic High School

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

personHeadteacher Matt Baker

corporate_fareOUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

location_onIpswich, IP4 3NJ

language Visit Website phone 1473726178

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2020

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Students

1,023

trending_up

Attainment 8

46.9

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GCSE Rank

#10 in Suffolk

#1,381 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

St Alban's Catholic High School is a Academy converter secondary school in Ipswich, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

St Alban's Catholic High School is an academy converter in Ipswich, Suffolk, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 996 pupils on roll, of whom 22% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.9, placing the school #10 in Suffolk and #1,381 of 3,216 nationally. 41.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 16.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 22 A-level subjects. 44.2% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 24.5% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.04 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2020. 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 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 4 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 5.8 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

41.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)16.9%

Entering EBacc22.50%

EBacc APS3.99

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc31.90%

EBacc APS4.3

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.10

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS3.97

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.2

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS4.3

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS4.08

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS4.37

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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

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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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

-0.04

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*7.5%

Achieving A*–A24.5%

Achieving A*–B44.2%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate91.5%

A-level subjects offered22

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate97.00%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate92.80%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

23 April 2025

Inspection Report

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21 January 2020

Inspection Report

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19 September 2017

Inspection Report

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16 May 2013

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2020-01-21

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2017-09-19

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2013-05-16

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Development

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

4.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.1%(31 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

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 996 pupils. During this period, there were 49 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 4.9%, which is below 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)	996	49	4.9%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	989	66	6.7%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,020	43	4.2%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,016	53	5.2%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,018	48	4.7%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,024	26	2.5%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,023	20	2.0%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,011	31	3.1%	5.9%	1
2021/22 (Summer term)	956	27	2.8%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	962	18	1.9%	4.9%	1
2021/22 (Autumn term)	949	27	2.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	930	31	3.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	922	3	0.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	904	30	3.3%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	926	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	926	26	2.8%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	922	21	2.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	950	13	1.4%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	956	19	2.0%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	960	13	1.4%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	983	11	1.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	983	12	1.2%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	985	19	1.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,006	8	0.8%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,011	12	1.2%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,011	11	1.1%	3.1%	0

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 38 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 15 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 13 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 11 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

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St Alban's Catholic High School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Roman Catholic)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Suffolk

Debenham High School

Hartismere School

Bury St Edmunds County High School

St Benedict's Catholic School

Northgate High School

Sybil Andrews Academy