Samuel Ward Academy
- Secondary
- Academy converter
- Ages 11 to 18
URN 136322 · Suffolk · UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
Inspection
Ofsted management information, as at 30 September 2026.
Latest graded inspection
1 November 2022Overall effectiveness
Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form provision
- Good
- Safeguarding is effective
- Yes
Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1
Under the earlier framework, inspections gave an overall effectiveness grade.
Earlier graded inspection
6 March 2019Overall effectiveness
Requires improvement
Under the earlier framework, inspections gave an overall effectiveness grade.
Read the reports on Ofsted’s website. Source: Ofsted, State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information.
Attendance
Against Suffolk and England, secondary schools.
Overall absence
2024/2510.1%
- Suffolk
- 9.1%
- England
- 8.4%
1.7 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 5.0% | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| 2018/19 | 4.9% | 5.7% | 5.5% |
| 2020/21 | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.5% |
| 2021/22 | 9.1% | 9.8% | 9.0% |
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 9.7% | 9.0% |
| 2023/24 | 10.4% | 9.7% | 8.9% |
| 2024/25 | 10.1% | 9.1% | 8.4% |
Sessions missed for any reason, as a share of all possible sessions in the school year. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Persistent absence
2024/2526.3%
- Suffolk
- 24.5%
- England
- 23.4%
2.9 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 9.8% | 13.5% | 13.9% |
| 2018/19 | 11.0% | 14.1% | 13.7% |
| 2020/21 | 10.4% | 14.6% | 14.8% |
| 2021/22 | 28.5% | 30.7% | 27.7% |
| 2022/23 | 27.3% | 28.0% | 26.5% |
| 2023/24 | 30.8% | 27.7% | 25.6% |
| 2024/25 | 26.3% | 24.5% | 23.4% |
Pupils who missed 10% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Severe absence
2024/255.0%
- Suffolk
- 4.7%
- England
- 3.9%
1.1 percentage points higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 0.6% | 1.2% | 1.2% |
| 2018/19 | 0.7% | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| 2020/21 | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| 2021/22 | 2.7% | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| 2022/23 | 3.1% | 4.0% | 3.4% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 4.7% | 3.8% |
| 2024/25 | 5.0% | 4.7% | 3.9% |
Pupils who missed 50% or more of their possible sessions, as a share of pupils. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25.
Suspensions and permanent exclusions
Against Suffolk and England, secondary schools.
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2024/2527.60
- Suffolk
- 30.98
- England
- 21.24
6.36 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 5.94 | 8.36 | 10.13 |
| 2018/19 | 12.35 | 9.40 | 10.75 |
| 2019/20 | 8.15 | 6.54 | 7.43 |
| 2020/21 | 4.66 | 7.97 | 8.48 |
| 2021/22 | 13.35 | 13.06 | 13.96 |
| 2022/23 | 15.26 | 19.12 | 18.90 |
| 2023/24 | 27.13 | 27.00 | 22.61 |
| 2024/25 | 27.60 | 30.98 | 21.24 |
Suspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. One pupil can be suspended more than once. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Permanent exclusions per 100 pupils
2024/250.17
- Suffolk
- 0.34
- England
- 0.23
0.06 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 0.00 | 0.18 | 0.20 |
| 2018/19 | 0.23 | 0.20 | 0.20 |
| 2019/20 | 0.47 | 0.17 | 0.13 |
| 2020/21 | 0.00 | 0.15 | 0.10 |
| 2021/22 | 0.25 | 0.26 | 0.16 |
| 2022/23 | 0.25 | 0.28 | 0.22 |
| 2023/24 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.25 |
| 2024/25 | 0.17 | 0.34 | 0.23 |
Permanent exclusions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, 2024/25.
Key stage 4 results
Against Suffolk and England, secondary schools.
Attainment 8
2025/26 (provisional)38.2
- Suffolk
- 44.0
- England
- 47.4
9.2 lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 47.7 | 49.8 |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 44.4 | 47.2 |
| 2023/24 | 43.2 | 44.0 | 46.9 |
| 2024/25 | 43.8 | 43.8 | 47.1 |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 38.2 | 44.0 | 47.4 |
The average of pupils' points across eight GCSE-level qualifications, with English and maths counted twice. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 4 or above
2025/26 (provisional)54%
- Suffolk
- 62%
- England
- 66%
12 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 69% | 70% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 64% | 67% |
| 2023/24 | 65% | 64% | 67% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 62% | 66% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 54% | 62% | 66% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 4 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
English and maths: grade 5 or above
2025/26 (provisional)32%
- Suffolk
- 41%
- England
- 48%
16 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Not published | 47% | 51% |
| 2022/23 | Not published | 41% | 46% |
| 2023/24 | 36% | 41% | 47% |
| 2024/25 | 42% | 41% | 47% |
| 2025/26 (provisional) | 32% | 41% | 48% |
Pupils at the end of key stage 4 with grade 5 or above in both English and maths. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Key stage 4 performance, 2025/26.
Pupils
Against Suffolk and England, secondary schools.
Eligible for free school meals
2024/2516.6%
- Suffolk
- 22.3%
- England
- 25.8%
9.2 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 13.4% | 17.8% | 20.9% |
| 2022/23 | 13.9% | 19.6% | 22.7% |
| 2023/24 | 15.3% | 21.1% | 24.1% |
| 2024/25 | 16.6% | 22.3% | 25.8% |
Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals on census day in January. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
SEN support
2024/2510.9%
- Suffolk
- 13.9%
- England
- 13.4%
2.5 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 7.5% | 11.6% | 11.9% |
| 2022/23 | 9.0% | 12.8% | 12.4% |
| 2023/24 | 9.4% | 12.7% | 12.9% |
| 2024/25 | 10.9% | 13.9% | 13.4% |
Pupils receiving special educational needs support without an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Education, health and care plan
2024/251.5%
- Suffolk
- 3.8%
- England
- 3.1%
1.6 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 1.6% | 2.7% | 2.2% |
| 2022/23 | 1.3% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| 2023/24 | 1.4% | 3.2% | 2.7% |
| 2024/25 | 1.5% | 3.8% | 3.1% |
Pupils with an education, health and care plan. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
First language other than English
2024/2514.1%
- Suffolk
- 9.9%
- England
- 19.2%
5.1 percentage points lower than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 9.0% | 7.8% | 17.5% |
| 2022/23 | 9.7% | 8.4% | 18.1% |
| 2023/24 | 12.2% | 9.1% | 18.6% |
| 2024/25 | 14.1% | 9.9% | 19.2% |
Pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Teachers
Against Suffolk and England, secondary schools.
Pupils per qualified teacher
2025/2620.5
- Suffolk
- 18.5
- England
- 17.3
3.2 higher than England.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 17.0 | 17.7 | 16.5 |
| 2018/19 | 21.2 | 17.6 | 16.8 |
| 2019/20 | 19.8 | 18.5 | 17.2 |
| 2020/21 | 20.0 | 18.4 | 17.1 |
| 2021/22 | 19.7 | 18.3 | 17.1 |
| 2022/23 | 21.1 | 18.4 | 17.2 |
| 2023/24 | 21.1 | 18.8 | 17.4 |
| 2024/25 | 24.8 | 17.5 | 17.3 |
| 2025/26 | 20.5 | 18.5 | 17.3 |
Full-time equivalent pupils for each full-time equivalent qualified teacher. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2025/26.
Teacher sickness absence
2024/254.5 days
- Suffolk
- 4.9 days
- England
- 5.0 days
0.5 days lower than England.
Compared with all state-funded schools: DfE publishes this measure for all schools, not by phase.
Show the figures as a table
| Year | This school | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017/18 | 6.5 days | 3.7 days | 4.0 days |
| 2018/19 | 8.5 days | 3.5 days | 4.0 days |
| 2019/20 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2020/21 | 7.2 days | 3.1 days | 3.9 days |
| 2021/22 | 9.2 days | 6.4 days | 6.3 days |
| 2022/23 | 5.2 days | 5.0 days | 5.2 days |
| 2023/24 | 9.6 days | 4.9 days | 5.3 days |
| 2024/25 | 4.5 days | 4.9 days | 5.0 days |
Days lost to sickness absence in the school year, averaged across all teachers. Source: Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics, School workforce in England, 2024/25.
Finance
Academies report their accounts as part of their trust, so DfE publishes no school-level balance for this school. The trust’s figures are in DfE’s Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool.
See this school in the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool
About the school
- Pupils on roll
- 1,076
- Capacity
- 1,250
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Opened
- 1 November 2010
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Constituency
- West Suffolk
- Special educational needs provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Deprivation of the area (IDACI)
- Decile 5 of 10 (1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods)
Address: Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 0LD
Website: www.samuelward.co.uk
Telephone: 01440761511
Sources and corrections
Every figure on this page names its source and period. This release was built on 20 October 2026.
- Department for Education: Get Information about Schools: establishment data (GIAS establishment extract 2026-10-20)
- Ofsted: State-funded school inspections and outcomes: management information (Latest inspections as at 2026-09-30; All inspections, 2018/19; All inspections, 2019/20; All inspections, 2020/21; All inspections, 2021/22; All inspections, 2022/23; All inspections, 2023/24; All inspections, 2024/25; All inspections, 2025/26)
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Pupil absence in schools in England (absence-3term-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England (exc-school, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-school, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-geography, 2006/07 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; exc-ap-geography, 2013/14 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 2 attainment (ks2-school, 2022/23 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; ks2-geography, 2015/16 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Key stage 4 performance (ks4-school, 2023/24 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ks4-geography, 2018/19 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id])
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: Schools, pupils and their characteristics (School census, January 2022 (performance tables, 2021 to 2022); School census, January 2023 (performance tables, 2022 to 2023); School census, January 2024 (performance tables, 2023 to 2024); School census, January 2025 (performance tables, 2024 to 2025))
- Department for Education, Explore Education Statistics: School workforce in England (ptr-school, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; ptr-geography, 2010/11 to 2025/26 [pinned data set id]; sickness-school, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id]; sickness-geography, 2009/10 to 2024/25 [pinned data set id])
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English indices of deprivation 2025: Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (English indices of deprivation 2025, File 7 (2021 LSOAs))
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