Chantry Academy Review 2026: Community-focused 11–16 academy in south-west Ipswich

A modern secondary school can still feel distinctly local, and Chantry Academy leans into that role. It is an 11–16 academy serving south-west Ipswich, with an inclusive ethos and a clear emphasis on behaviour, attendance, and the basics of learning that make progress possible across the ability range. The most recent inspection outcome is Good across every judgement area, reflecting a school that has stabilised and tightened its day-to-day routines while continuing to raise expectations.

Leadership continuity is a notable feature. Craig D’Cunha is the executive headteacher and has been in senior post at the school for a number of years, including during earlier Ofsted monitoring in 2016. The school is part of The Active Learning Trust, which provides governance and support alongside local leadership.

Facilities matter in a comprehensive, and Chantry benefits from a comparatively recent rebuild. The academy moved into a modern new building in 2015 as part of the Priority School Building Programme, a practical advantage for specialist spaces and day-to-day learning.

Chantry’s strongest trait is clarity. Expectations are explicit, and students understand what “good” looks like in corridors, classrooms, and at social times. The behaviour picture is generally settled, with calm movement between lessons and a courteous tone between students and staff, which is often the difference between a school that feels manageable and one that feels draining for families.

The values framework is simple and behavioural, built around being ready, respectful, and safe. In practice, that gives staff and students shared language for routines, classroom entry, and conduct, which tends to reduce friction for students who need structure, including those who struggle with organisation or self-regulation.

Inclusion is not a slogan here. The school has a specialist resource base for 24 pupils with moderate learning difficulties, alongside wider SEND support, which signals a school set up to educate a broad intake rather than one that quietly narrows its offer. The more important point for parents is the implication: support is embedded into the mainstream day, not treated as an add-on that only appears at crisis moments.

Chantry Academy’s GCSE outcomes sit below England average in the FindMySchool rankings. Ranked 3,458th in England and 15th in Ipswich for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it is in the lower 40% of schools in England for this measure.

On the underlying accountability measures, the Attainment 8 score is 35.5 and the Progress 8 score is -0.51. A negative Progress 8 score indicates students, on average, make less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally across the eight subjects that count.

None of this means students cannot do well, but it does shape the parent conversation. Families with a highly academic child who needs consistently top-end stretch may want to scrutinise subject-by-subject outcomes and set information carefully. Families prioritising structure, inclusion, and pastoral stability may weigh the broader experience more heavily.

If you are comparing options across Ipswich, the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool are a sensible way to place these figures alongside nearby schools, using the same official-data basis rather than mixed sources.

The curriculum is planned to be ambitious and is being actively refined, particularly in Key Stage 4, to improve outcomes. Concepts are taught clearly and returned to methodically, with assessment used to check that students remember more over time, which suits students who benefit from repetition and explicit instruction.

Reading is treated as a priority rather than an assumption. English teaching draws on a deliberately chosen set of texts, and students who find reading difficult receive targeted help to build fluency. Staff training has focused on how to teach reading and how to develop spoken thinking, which matters for comprehension and extended writing across subjects.

The practical implication is straightforward. Students with weaker literacy, including many able students who have not yet secured fluency, are less likely to be left to drift. For families, it is worth asking how reading support is identified, how frequently it is reviewed, and what happens when a student improves, so intervention does not become a label.

As an 11–16 school, Chantry’s post-16 pathway is about preparing students to choose well, rather than retaining them. Careers education is planned to give students clear exposure to academic and technical routes, including apprenticeships and technical qualifications, rather than leaving options as vague aspirations.

For families, the key is early planning. If your child is likely to thrive in a sixth form environment, it is sensible to explore local sixth-form and college options during Year 10 and Year 11, so choices are made on fit and subject access, not just convenience.

Chantry Academy is a Suffolk secondary school and Year 7 admissions are coordinated through Suffolk County Council’s normal-year-of-entry process. For September 2026 entry, the published Suffolk timetable sets a closing date of Friday 31 October 2025, with offers issued on Monday 2 March 2026.

The school’s Published Admission Number is 210 for the 2026 to 2027 school year, which provides a clear sense of year-group scale. Because distance offered data is not available here, families should not assume proximity alone will be enough in any given year. If you are shortlisting on geography, the FindMySchool Map Search is a practical way to sense-check likely travel and relative proximity across multiple options, but admissions outcomes still depend on the applicant pool in that cycle.

Pastoral support is positioned as a driver of improved behaviour and attendance, not a separate service that runs in parallel to learning. The school has reduced the number of behaviour incidents leading to suspension, supported by a strong pastoral team that works with students whose behaviour falls below expectations.

Bullying handling is more nuanced. The school responds effectively when concerns are raised, but some students do not report issues, which creates a gap between what staff can act on and what students experience. For parents, the most useful questions are operational: how students are encouraged to report, how outcomes are communicated back to families, and what follow-up looks like after an incident is logged.

The most recent Ofsted inspection confirmed safeguarding arrangements as effective.

Enrichment at Chantry is not treated as window dressing. Students have access to clubs and visits, including debating, chess and book clubs, alongside numerous sport and performing arts activities. The breadth matters because it creates multiple routes to belonging, which can be particularly important for students who do not identify with mainstream sport or who are rebuilding confidence.

For older students, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is a meaningful anchor. It is a structured programme that rewards reliability and teamwork, and it often suits students who benefit from clear goals outside the classroom. The implication for parents is that enrichment can become part of a student’s personal narrative at interview and post-16 transition, particularly when academic outcomes are mixed.

Transport links are a practical strength. The school is well served by local bus routes and is situated close to Ipswich railway station, and parking is available on site, which helps at pick-up points and evening events.

Start and finish times can vary by day and year group in many secondaries; families should use the school’s published “times of the school day” information and confirm any changes for the current term directly with the school.

• Academic outcomes are a work in progress. The Progress 8 score of -0.51 indicates students, on average, make less progress than similar pupils nationally. Families with very high academic ambitions should probe subject pathways and intervention.

• Attendance remains the lever. Attendance has improved materially, but some students still miss too much learning time. This matters because students with stronger attendance benefit most from curriculum improvements.

• Bullying reporting confidence needs attention. The school resolves concerns that are raised, but some students do not report bullying when it occurs. Parents should ask how reporting routes are reinforced and how outcomes are shared.

• No sixth form on site. Post-16 is a transition by design, which suits students ready for a fresh start, but requires earlier planning for subjects, travel, and support.

Chantry Academy is an inclusive 11–16 school with clear routines, improving culture, and a strong community role, backed by a Good inspection profile across all areas. It suits families who want a structured, locally grounded secondary where behaviour expectations are explicit and pastoral support is part of the daily system, particularly for students who benefit from routine and consistent adult expectations.

The main trade-off is academic performance, which sits below England average in the FindMySchool rankings, so families with highly academic children should investigate stretch and outcomes at subject level, while families prioritising inclusion and stability may find the overall package aligns well.