Felixstowe School

About Felixstowe School

Felixstowe School’s Progress 8 score of -0.48 sits well below the Suffolk local authority average of -0.17 for secondary schools, placing it in the bottom half of schools nationally and 36th out of 48 similar schools in the county. This headline metric suggests that, on average, pupils here make less academic progress between Key Stage 2 and GCSE than their peers across Suffolk. The gap is particularly pronounced in English, where the Progress 8 score drops to -0.73, while maths fares better at -0.20. That said, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 rated it Good across every category — a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in December 2021. The inspection team highlighted Good quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership, suggesting that while raw progress scores lag behind the LA norm, the school is now on a more stable footing under headteacher Emma Wilson-Downes.

At GCSE, Felixstowe’s Attainment 8 score of 35.8 and the 49.5% of pupils achieving a grade 4 or above in English and maths are modest figures, and only 15.8% of students entered the EBacc suite of subjects. The EBacc average point score of 3.07 reflects this narrower academic focus. In the sixth form, where 48 students took A-levels, the average points per entry was 27.41 (roughly a C- grade), and the value added score of -0.28 is classed as Below average. The best three A-levels averaged a C grade, with 17.4% of entries achieving AAB or higher. These outcomes place the school in a challenging position academically, but the Ofsted upgrade to Good in 2024 suggests that teaching and leadership have strengthened since the previous inspection, and the school is now better placed to support students’ progress from their starting points.

Felixstowe School is a large secondary with 1,211 pupils on roll, operating below its capacity of 1,500. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, receiving 234 applications for 218 places, with 214 first-preference offers made — a ratio of 1.07 applicants per place. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a theatre, astro turf, art studios, science labs, and a sixth form centre, plus sports such as cricket, swimming, and hockey. It also runs clubs like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, and coding. SEND provision is comprehensive, covering dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and physical disabilities among others. With 26.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Felixstowe serves a relatively disadvantaged intake. This school may suit families who value the recent Ofsted improvement and broad extracurricular offer, but who are realistic about the current academic outcomes compared with stronger-performing schools in Suffolk.

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