Newmarket Academy

Newmarket Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating in most areas with notable strengths in the quality of education and personal development. The school enjoys a positive atmosphere where most students develop strong friendships and can engage in a variety of extracurricular activities. Leaders have implemented a well-designed curriculum that effectively prepares pupils for their future education and employment, alongside initiatives to support reading and personal development. However, a minority of pupils exhibit behavior that disrupts learning, and there are challenges in consistently applying behavior policies across the staff, which leaders are actively addressing.

Strengths

• Strong friendships and positive pupil relationships.
• Wide range of extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities.
• Well-designed and engaging curriculum.
• Effective reading interventions leading to improved reading skills.
• Strong support from governors and trust for school leaders.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of behavior policies by some staff.
• Teachers sometimes struggle to match work to diverse pupil needs.
• Some pupils do not value education, affecting their motivation.

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 Newmarket Academy attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.0% 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, 6.9% of pupils at Newmarket 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 Newmarket Academy had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.4% 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, 12.4% of pupils at Newmarket Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 22 pupils.

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 Newmarket Academy received £8,384 and spent £8,051 for each of its 813 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £248,000 (£305 per pupil).

Across all 39 schools of Unity Schools Partnership, income was £8,494 and spending £8,500 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 Newmarket · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Newmarket Academy is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy Newmarket
• Laureate Community Academy Newmarket
• Ditton Lodge Primary School Newmarket
• West Row Academy Bury St. Edmunds
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill
• Castle Manor Academy Haverhill
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Burton End Primary Academy Haverhill

What is Newmarket Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newmarket Academy is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Newmarket Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Newmarket Academy was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Newmarket Academy have?

Newmarket Academy has 797 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newmarket Academy cover?

Newmarket Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Newmarket Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.6, and 38% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Newmarket Academy?

Newmarket Academy is at Exning Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0EB.