Alde Valley Academy
Academy sponsor led · 645 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.7
Academy sponsor led
Felixstowe School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,169of 1,500 places
- Free school meals
- 25.7%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 231
- Ofsted
- Good, 4 June 2024Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registrations: Deben High School (URN 124811, until 1 September 2011); Orwell High School (URN 124812, until 1 September 2011).
What the data says
Of the 205 pupils who finished Year 11 at Felixstowe School in 2023, 41% stayed on in Felixstowe School’s own sixth form (Suffolk average 39%), 39% went to a further education college and 4% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 66 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 42% went to university (Suffolk 26%, England 37%), and 0% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally; 12% started an apprenticeship, well above the 7% England average.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 20% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 38.5 against 46.1 across England and 42.8 in Suffolk, with 27% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
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 | Felixstowe School | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 205 | 7,591 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 88% | 93% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 80% | 87% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 41% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 0% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 39% | 42% | 37% |
| — other education | 0% | 2% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 5% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 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 | Felixstowe School | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 66 | 7,162 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 79% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 42% | 26% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 0% | 10% | 19% |
| Further education | 0% | 6% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 12% | 10% | 7% |
| Employment | 33% | 36% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 16% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Felixstowe School | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 38.5 | 42.8 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 27% | 40% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 49% | 61% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 34% | 27% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.42 | 3.70 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 29% | 25% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.0 | 30.8 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 42.7 | 46.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 11% | 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 | 228 | 99% | 88% | 12% | 22% | 63% |
| English Language | 227 | 98% | 89% | 8% | 20% | 53% |
| English Literature | 211 | 91% | 86% | 10% | 21% | 52% |
| Combined Science | 199 | 86% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 48% |
| Geography | 160 | 69% | 41% | 11% | 25% | 44% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 86 | 37% | 8% | 9% | 21% | 60% |
| French | 84 | 36% | 18% | 10% | 29% | 51% |
| History | 78 | 34% | 41% | 15% | 26% | 50% |
| Design and Technology | 57 | 25% | 11% | 0% | 23% | 35% |
| Sociology | 47 | 20% | 4% | 19% | 21% | 49% |
| Photography | 33 | 14% | 6% | 3% | 19% | 64% |
| Chemistry | 23 | 10% | 23% | 57% | 47% | 100% |
| Biology | 23 | 10% | 23% | 43% | 45% | 100% |
| Physics | 23 | 10% | 23% | 65% | 46% | 100% |
| Art and Design | 22 | 10% | 7% | 14% | 24% | 77% |
| Drama | 21 | 9% | 7% | 19% | 27% | 81% |
| Physical Education | 19 | 8% | 11% | 0% | 24% | 53% |
| Computer Science | 18 | 8% | 13% | 6% | 30% | 44% |
| Music | 13 | 6% | 5% | 8% | 33% | 31% |
| Polish | 2 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Citizenship Studies | 1 | 0% | 3% | — | 19% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Health | 46 | 100% | — |
| Engineering Studies | 41 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 37 | 100% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 22 | 76% | — |
| Childcare Skills | 19 | 66% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 8 | 28% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | Felixstowe School | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 55 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 29 | 2,713 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | C+ | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 29.54 | 31.88 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 10% | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology | 10 | 34% | 13% |
| Psychology | 8 | 28% | 23% |
| Geography | 7 | 24% | 10% |
| Art and Design | — | — | 1% |
| Photography | — | — | 3% |
| Biology | — | — | 20% |
| Chemistry | — | — | 17% |
| Drama | — | — | 2% |
| Product Design | — | — | 2% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| English Literature | — | — | 11% |
| Film Studies | — | — | 2% |
| History | — | — | 13% |
| Mathematics | — | — | 31% |
| Physics | — | — | 12% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Science | VRQ Level 3 | 7 | 24% | — |
| Multimedia | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | 6 | 21% | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | OCR Cambridge Technical Introductory Diploma at Level 3 | — | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
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.