Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #68 in Essex public Top 40% UK

The Ongar Academy

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

personMr Carl Wakefield

corporate_fareBRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST

location_onOngar, CM5 0AN

language Visit Website phone 1277500990

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

597

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Attainment 8

37.4

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GCSE Rank

#68 in Essex

#2,845 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

The Ongar Academy is a Free schools secondary school in Ongar, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

The Ongar Academy is a free schools in Ongar, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of BRIDGE ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 511 pupils on roll, of whom 30% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.4, placing the school #68 in Essex and #2,845 of 3,216 nationally. 25.90% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 11.4% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.7× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 13.1 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

37.4

Grade 5+ E&M

25.90%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)11.4%

Entering EBacc34.80%

EBacc APS3.23

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.57

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46.80%

EBacc APS3.32

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.30

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS3.70

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.4

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19%

EBacc APS4.1

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc24%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

2018

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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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

91%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

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

Apprenticeships6%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)79%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

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

Apprenticeships3%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)9%

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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.

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate93.50%

2022

Avg Grade

C-

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

31 October 2023

Inspection Report

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16 May 2018

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

1 Evaluations

2018-05-16

S5 Inspection 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

9.2%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

7.2%(37 pupils)

Spring term 2025

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

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 511 pupils. During this period, there were 47 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 9.2%, 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)	511	47	9.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	509	87	17.1%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	549	92	16.8%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	553	63	11.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	550	78	14.2%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	611	81	13.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	597	88	14.7%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	599	93	15.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	648	28	4.3%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	654	18	2.8%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	658	21	3.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	609	20	3.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	621	8	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	624	21	3.4%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	571	0	0.0%	0.0%	2
2019/20 (Spring term)	571	29	5.1%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	575	35	6.1%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	457	23	5.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	452	24	5.3%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	456	25	5.5%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	344	19	5.5%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	351	15	4.3%	3.0%	3
2017/18 (Autumn term)	351	15	4.3%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	220	10	4.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	220	2	0.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	218	11	5.0%	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 42 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 11 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 7 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

12.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

9.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

3.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

agree3%

disagree16%

strongly disagree75%

don't know6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree3%

agree19%

disagree38%

strongly disagree34%

don't know6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

agree3%

disagree19%

strongly disagree75%

don't know3%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes47%

no53%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

agree7%

disagree7%

strongly disagree87%

The school has high expectations for my child.

agree9%

disagree31%

strongly disagree50%

don't know9%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree3%

agree6%

disagree25%

strongly disagree56%

don't know9%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree3%

agree9%

disagree19%

strongly disagree66%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree3%

agree16%

disagree44%

strongly disagree28%

don't know9%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree3%

agree47%

disagree19%

strongly disagree25%

don't know6%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree3%

agree3%

disagree19%

strongly disagree72%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes3%

no97%

Top Secondary Schools in Essex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 3SX

emoji_events #1 in LA

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 1RW

emoji_events #2 in LA

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Inadequate

location_on Colchester, CO3 3ND

emoji_events #3 in LA

Colchester County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Colchester, CO3 3US

emoji_events #4 in LA

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Good

location_on Brentwood, CM14 4EX

emoji_events #5 in LA

Saffron Walden County High School

Outstanding

location_on Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Essex arrow_forward

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

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)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Essex

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Colchester County High School for Girls

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Saffron Walden County High School