Thomas Gainsborough School

Thomas Gainsborough School is performing strongly overall. It is a large 11–18 comprehensive academy within the Unity Schools Partnership, and the report highlights a culture in which pupils are expected to succeed academically and socially. Pupils say they feel safe and happy, behaviour is exceptional, and pupils are respectful, punctual and focused in lessons. The quality of education is strong, with a carefully considered curriculum, knowledgeable teachers and a clear emphasis on reading. Personal development and sixth-form provision are particular strengths, including extensive enrichment, student leadership, careers guidance and a wide range of opportunities for older students.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well and show exemplary conduct and respect.
• Pupils feel safe and happy and trust adults to deal with concerns quickly.
• The curriculum is carefully considered and designed to help pupils achieve well.
• Teachers are knowledgeable and provide clear explanations of subject content.
• Reading is promoted extensively and pupils are encouraged to become confident readers.
• Personal development is extensive and has a wide-ranging positive impact.
• Careers education, advice and guidance are highly successful in preparing pupils for next steps.
• Sixth-form students are captivated by their subjects and benefit from strong enrichment and student-led activity.
• Leaders have a clear moral purpose and an accurate understanding of what remains to be done.
• Staff value professional development and support with workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils with SEND do not always access learning fully because planning for their needs is not sufficiently precise.
• Support for pupils with SEND is not yet consistently effective in helping them achieve well.
• In a small number of subjects, assessment of written work is not rigorous enough, so errors and misconceptions are not always corrected and can be repeated.

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 Thomas Gainsborough School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.5% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Thomas Gainsborough School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were 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 Thomas Gainsborough School had 19.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.5% 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, 13.0% of pupils at Thomas Gainsborough School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.7% 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 Thomas Gainsborough School received £7,659 and spent £7,579 for each of its 1,615 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £492,000 (£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 Sudbury · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Thomas Gainsborough School is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Wells Hall Primary School Sudbury
• Woodhall Primary School Sudbury
• Glemsford Primary Academy Sudbury
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Coupals Primary Academy Haverhill
• Steeple Bumpstead Primary School Haverhill
• Churchill Special Free School Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill

What is Thomas Gainsborough School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thomas Gainsborough School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Thomas Gainsborough School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thomas Gainsborough School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Thomas Gainsborough School have?

Thomas Gainsborough School has 1,603 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thomas Gainsborough School cover?

Thomas Gainsborough School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Thomas Gainsborough School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.7, and 44% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Thomas Gainsborough School?

Thomas Gainsborough School is at Wells Hall Road, Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 0NH.