Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #31 in Suffolk public Top 35% UK

Ormiston Denes Academy

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

personMrs Kate Williams

corporate_fareORMISTON ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onLowestoft, NR32 4AH

language Visit Website phone 1502574474

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

753

trending_up

Attainment 8

40.5

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#30 in Suffolk

#2,472 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Ormiston Denes Academy is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Lowestoft, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

article

School Summary

Ormiston Denes Academy is an academy sponsor led in Lowestoft, Suffolk, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of ORMISTON ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 730 pupils on roll, of whom 57% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.5, placing the school #30 in Suffolk and #2,472 of 3,216 nationally. 30.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.1% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. 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 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 6 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 16.6 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

40.5

Grade 5+ E&M

30.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.1%

Entering EBacc25.40%

EBacc APS3.43

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.38

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

35.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc28.00%

EBacc APS3.08

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.27

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

36.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS2.99

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.15

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS3.43

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc4%

EBacc APS3

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc8%

EBacc APS3.33

explore

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

84%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)80%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)12%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 March 2025

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

12 July 2022

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

22 June 2021

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

03 February 2021

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

22 October 2020

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

11 December 2019

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

26 June 2019

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

20 June 2018

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

26 April 2017

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

07 May 2015

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

04 February 2015

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

6 Evaluations

2025-03-04

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2022-07-12

Serious Weaknesses S5 Reinspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2019-06-26

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

2018-06-20

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2017-04-26

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2015-02-04

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

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

7.8%(57 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

3pupils

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 730 pupils. During this period, there were 116 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)	730	116	15.9%	7.3%	3
2024/25 (Autumn term)	729	126	17.3%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	738	192	26.0%	7.4%	2
2023/24 (Spring term)	767	247	32.2%	7.1%	2
2023/24 (Autumn term)	761	280	36.8%	8.2%	5
2022/23 (Summer term)	746	183	24.5%	6.6%	5
2022/23 (Spring term)	753	216	28.7%	6.4%	6
2022/23 (Autumn term)	758	285	37.6%	5.9%	4
2021/22 (Summer term)	756	325	43.0%	4.7%	2
2021/22 (Spring term)	769	254	33.0%	4.9%	2
2021/22 (Autumn term)	767	216	28.2%	4.4%	4
2020/21 (Summer term)	795	80	10.1%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	794	11	1.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	803	53	6.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	857	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	857	63	7.4%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	860	79	9.2%	4.2%	7
2018/19 (Summer term)	869	41	4.7%	3.1%	4
2018/19 (Spring term)	873	46	5.3%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	896	80	8.9%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	929	56	6.0%	3.4%	3
2017/18 (Spring term)	946	53	5.6%	3.0%	4
2017/18 (Autumn term)	973	87	8.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	983	80	8.1%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	992	52	5.2%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,015	98	9.7%	3.1%	5

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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 88 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 75 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 26 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 23 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 8 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils