Alde Valley Academy
Academy sponsor led · 645 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.7
Academy converter
Samuel Ward Academy
- Pupils on roll
- 1,076of 1,250 places
- Free school meals
- 17.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 195
- Ofsted
- Good, 1 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Samuel Ward Arts and Technology College (URN 124852, until 1 November 2010).
What the data says
Of the 227 pupils who finished Year 11 at Samuel Ward Academy in 2023, 28% stayed on in Samuel Ward Academy’s own sixth form (Suffolk average 39%), 42% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 78 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 37% went to university (Suffolk 26%, England 37%), and 5% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
A level grades average D, well below the England average of B-; 3% of students achieved AAB or better including two facilitating subjects (England 18%). The largest A level subjects are Mathematics, Economics and Sociology.
Statistics is unusually popular at GCSE: 24% of the year group took it, against 5% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Suffolk and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Samuel Ward Academy | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 227 | 7,591 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 95% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 89% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 28% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 17% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 42% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Samuel Ward Academy | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 78 | 7,162 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 37% | 26% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 5% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 1% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 6% | 10% | 7% |
| Employment | 36% | 36% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 15% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Samuel Ward Academy | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 43.8 | 42.8 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 61% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 21% | 27% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.76 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 16% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 33.5 | 30.8 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 45.7 | 46.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 10% | 10% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 196 | 100% | 88% | 19% | 22% | 71% |
| English Language | 194 | 99% | 89% | 13% | 20% | 66% |
| English Literature | 192 | 98% | 86% | 10% | 21% | 57% |
| Combined Science | 161 | 83% | 65% | 8% | 9% | 49% |
| Geography | 115 | 59% | 41% | 20% | 25% | 52% |
| Business Studies | 100 | 51% | 18% | 8% | 20% | 43% |
| History | 86 | 44% | 41% | 12% | 26% | 47% |
| Design and Technology | 48 | 25% | 11% | 13% | 23% | 48% |
| Statistics | 46 | 24% | 5% | 39% | 20% | 91% |
| French | 44 | 23% | 18% | 20% | 29% | 61% |
| Fine Art | 39 | 20% | 9% | 33% | 28% | 82% |
| Physical Education | 39 | 20% | 11% | 8% | 24% | 44% |
| Sociology | 38 | 19% | 4% | 0% | 21% | 24% |
| Biology | 32 | 16% | 23% | 34% | 45% | 88% |
| Chemistry | 32 | 16% | 23% | 41% | 47% | 88% |
| Physics | 32 | 16% | 23% | 25% | 46% | 81% |
| Photography | 24 | 12% | 6% | 0% | 19% | 58% |
| Film Studies | 24 | 12% | 1% | 8% | 20% | 50% |
| Drama | 16 | 8% | 7% | 13% | 27% | 69% |
| Music | 9 | 5% | 5% | 0% | 33% | 33% |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Computer Science | 1 | 1% | 13% | — | 30% | — |
| Religious Studies | 1 | 1% | 31% | — | 32% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 40 | 82% | — |
| Graphic Design | 39 | 80% | — |
| Health Studies | 23 | 47% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Samuel Ward Academy | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 135 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 49 | 2,713 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | D | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 21.07 | 31.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | D | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 3% | 11% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 14 | 29% | 31% |
| Economics | 10 | 20% | 13% |
| Sociology | 9 | 18% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 9 | 18% | 13% |
| Psychology | 9 | 18% | 23% |
| Biology | 7 | 14% | 20% |
| English Literature | 7 | 14% | 11% |
| Physics | 6 | 12% | 12% |
| Chemistry | 6 | 12% | 17% |
| History | 6 | 12% | 13% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| Geography | — | — | 10% |
| Further Mathematics | — | — | 5% |
| Physical Education | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Studies | BTEC National Foundation Diploma L3 - Band H - P-D* | 18 | 37% | — |
| Applied Sciences | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 12% | — |
| Sports Studies | OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate at Level 3 | 6 | 12% | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Further Mathematics | GCE AS level (Not continued to A2) | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC Level 3 National Certificate (Band D) | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | VRQ Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | GCE AS level (All) | — | — | — |
Where Samuel Ward Academy is
Other secondary schools in Suffolk are shown for comparison; darker blue means more Year 11 leavers stayed in education. The last distance at which this school offered places is not yet on file — it comes from Suffolk’s allocation statistics.
Other secondary schools in Suffolk
Beccles High School
Free schools · 182 pupils
77% stayed in education · Attainment 8 27.6
Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics
Academy sponsor led · 1,263 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 44.9
Breckland School
Free schools · 615 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.4
Bungay High School
Academy converter · sixth form · 922 pupils
90% stayed in education · Attainment 8 41.7
Bury St Edmunds County High School
Academy converter · 657 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 49.8
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.