Acle Academy

Acle Academy is a smaller-than-average secondary school within The Wensum Trust. Inspectors found the school is performing at the expected standard in achievement, curriculum and teaching, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding requirements met. Pupils achieve well overall, with published outcomes close to national averages, and most move on successfully to their next steps. Pupils are confident readers, use mathematics fluently and benefit from a broad, ambitious curriculum. Behaviour is strong, pupils are polite and respectful, and the personal development programme is extensive, including trips, clubs, leadership roles and careers guidance. However, several areas need attention. Attendance is a significant concern: historical low attendance has not been tackled effectively, disadvantaged pupils miss school too often, and persistent absence is above the national average. The gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has widened in recent GCSE outcomes. Inclusion also needs attention because leaders do not always define SEND needs precisely, meaning teaching adaptations can lack precision for some pupils. Writing development is less established, and assessment information is not consistently used to adapt teaching. Leadership and governance need attention because improvement strategies have not secured change quickly enough in key areas, and leaders do not always evaluate the impact of their actions forensically. The school has clear strengths in its caring, family-like culture, robust governance and strong support for staff. Leaders, trustees and governors know where improvement is needed and are determined to address it, but sharper identification of pupil needs, better attendance strategies and more rigorous evaluation of impact are required to accelerate progress.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well overall, with outcomes close to national averages.
• Pupils with SEND progress well from their individual starting points.
• Pupils are confident readers and use subject-specific vocabulary well.
• Pupils use mathematics fluently and apply knowledge to solve problems.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious for all pupils.
• Teaching explanations are clear and generally effective.
• The personal development programme is extensive and prepares pupils well for modern Britain.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs, leadership roles and careers guidance.
• Pupils are polite, respectful and well behaved, with disruption rare.
• Bullying is not tolerated and is dealt with swiftly and effectively.
• Staff feel well supported and value the professional development they receive.
• Trustees and local governors have an accurate picture of the school and hold leaders robustly to account.
• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils with multiple needs and those accessing bespoke support flourish.
• Strong external agency relationships help support vulnerable pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains too low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders have not effectively identified why some pupils remain regularly absent.
• Persistent absence is above the national average.
• Disadvantaged pupils' GCSE outcomes and attainment are below national averages.
• The disadvantage gap has widened in recent GCSE results.
• Leaders do not always accurately define the needs of pupils with SEND.
• Teaching adaptations for some SEND and disadvantaged pupils lack precision.
• Writing development is less established across the curriculum.
• Some pupils have not secured key writing, spelling or grammatical knowledge.
• Assessment information is not consistently used to adapt future teaching.
• Oversight of strategies such as reading interventions is not sufficiently finessed.
• Leaders' actions have not secured improvement in key areas quickly enough.
• Tracking of extra-curricular participation is not always used to understand impact.
• Strategies to improve attendance are at an early stage and have not secured sustained improvement.
• Leaders' interrogation of the impact of improvement strategies is not forensic enough, slowing improvement.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Acle Academy attended 89.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.6% of pupils at Acle Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Acle Academy had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 5.4% of pupils at Acle Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Acle Academy received £7,283 and spent £6,753 for each of its 688 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £238,000 (£346 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Wensum Trust, income was £7,356 and spending £7,170 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Norwich · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Acle Academy is part of The Wensum Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Lodge Lane Infant School Norwich
• Garrick Green Infant School Norwich
• Heather Avenue Infant School Norwich
• Firside Junior School Norwich
• Kinsale Junior School Norwich
• Kinsale Infant School Norwich
• Hellesdon High School Norwich
• Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School Norwich
• Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School Wells-Next-The-Sea
• Alderman Peel High School Wells-Next-The-Sea

What is Acle Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Acle Academy is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Acle Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Acle Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Acle Academy have?

Acle Academy has 709 pupils on roll.

What age range does Acle Academy cover?

Acle Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Acle Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.5, and 37% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Acle Academy?

Acle Academy is at South Walsham Road, Acle, Norwich, Norfolk, NR13 3ER.