Ofsted: Outstanding

Abbeygate Sixth Form College

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

personDr Nikos Savvas

corporate_fareSUFFOLK ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onBury St Edmunds, IP33 3YU

language Visit Website phone 1284636501

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Ofsted

Outstanding

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Students

910

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Age Range

16-19

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Abbeygate Sixth Form College is a Free schools 16 to 19 school in Bury St Edmunds, serving ages 16-19. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade.

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School Summary

Abbeygate Sixth Form College is a free schools 16 to 19 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, admitting pupils aged 16-19. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of SUFFOLK ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 1,114 pupils on roll.

The sixth form offers 32 A-level subjects. 48.2% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 17.9% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.07 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 26.8:1. There is 1 teaching vacancy.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 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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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

-0.07

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

531

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.2%

Achieving A*–A17.9%

Achieving A*–B48.2%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate94.5%

A-level subjects offered32

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.1

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

539

Retention rate94.20%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

370

Retention rate93.00%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

341

Retention rate95.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

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No inspection data

We couldn't find any historical Ofsted records for this specific school location.

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

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 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 1,114 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,114	0.0%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,126	0.0%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,052	0.0%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,073	0.0%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,077	0.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	899	0.0%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	910	0.0%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	920	0.0%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	738	0.0%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	752	0.0%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	769	0.0%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	575	0.0%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	584	0.0%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	595	0.0%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	229	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	229	0.0%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	235	0.0%	4.2%

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 116 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 17 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 9 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 9 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 1 pupils

Abbeygate Sixth Form College

School Summary

Academic Performance

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

Staffing

Teacher Turnover