Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy
Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy is a special academy in Ipswich for boys and girls aged 3 to 16. It has 105 pupils and every place is taken. About 32 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2021.
Defoe Road, Ipswich, IP1 6SG01473 467600thomaswolseyoa.co.ukPrincipal Emily Webster headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 November 2021, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
5 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
5 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 5 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 5 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 7% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -1.9 | -4.4 | -9.2 | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.6 | -5.9 | -9.7 | – | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | 0% | – | – | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | 0% | – | – | 0% | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Suffolk council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Suffolk with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Physical disability (43), Severe learning difficulty (19), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (12), Multi-sensory impairment (6), Specific learning difficulty (6), Moderate learning difficulty (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 105 | 103 | 104 | 106 | 101 | 95 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 30% | 30% | 29% | 28% | 29% | 25% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 18% | 18% | 15% | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 21% | 19% | 14% | 7% | 11% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 79% | 81% | 86% | 93% | 90% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 85.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 14.1% | 16.2% | 16.0% | 18.4% | 21.2% | 13.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 13.3% | 15.7% | 15.2% | 17.5% | 20.3% | 13.6% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.1% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 33.7% | 53.9% | 47.3% | 55.0% | 60.5% | 44.0% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 17 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2019/20 leavers | 2018/19 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 83% | 100% | 83% |
| Education | 100% | 83% | 100% | 83% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 17% | 0% | 17% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beeches Community Primary School | Academy | 200 m | 393 | Good 2023 | 16 | Compare |
| St Pancras Catholic Primary School | Academy | 460 m | 153 | Good 2023 | 48 | Compare |
| Highfield Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 820 m | 102 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
| Ormiston Endeavour Academy | Academy | 890 m | 793 | Good 2022 | 42 | Compare |
| Whitehouse Community Primary School | Academy | 930 m | 551 | Not inspected | 27 | Compare |
| Castle Hill Junior School | Academy | 1000 m | 288 | Good 2024 | 20 | Compare |
| Castle Hill Infant School | Academy | 1000 m | 251 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Dale Hall Community Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 412 | Good 2019 | 33 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy a good school?
Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in November 2021.
What is Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy good at its last full inspection on 16 November 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How many pupils does Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy have?
105 pupils aged 3 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 100% full.
What is attendance like at Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy?
Pupils were in school 85.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 34% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Defoe Road, Ipswich, IP1 6SG
- Telephone
- 01473 467600
- Website
- www.thomaswolseyoa.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Principal Emily Webster
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-16, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Ormiston Academies Trust (45 schools)
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Ward
- Whitton
- Constituency
- Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 February 2012 (academy converter)
- URN
- 137838 · LAESTAB 9357006 · UKPRN 10035977
- Formerly
- Thomas Wolsey School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.