Royal Hospital School
Holbrook, Ipswich, IP9 2RX
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Steven Dixon
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- South Suffolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 820
- Pupils on roll
- 495
- URN
- 124889
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473326200
About this school
Royal Hospital School is an independent school in Ipswich. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 495 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Royal Hospital School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Royal Hospital School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in September 1980, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 134 | 122 | 92 |
| Attainment 8 score | 55.1 | 60.5 | 50.9 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 51% | 68.9% | 1.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 78% | 86.1% | 1.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 23% | 26.2% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Royal Hospital School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Suffolk average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55.1 | 37.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 60.5 | 37.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 50.9 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 686 |
| 2023/24 | 611 |
| 2024/25 | 545 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 1
- Pupils on SEN support
- 119
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ipswich High School2.9 miles
Independent schools
-
Orwell Park School4.3 miles
Independent schools · Ipswich
-
Alderwood Academy4.5 miles
Academies · Ipswich
-
First Base Ipswich Academy4.5 miles
Academies · Ipswich
-
New Skill Centre4.8 miles
Special schools · Ipswich
Other schools in Ipswich
- Ipswich School Independent schools
- Old Buckenham Hall School Independent schools
- Orwell Park School Independent schools
- St Joseph's College Independent schools
- Highfield Nursery School Nursery
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Bildeston Primary School Primary
- Birchwood Primary School Primary
- Bosmere Community Primary School Primary
- Bramford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Britannia Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Broke Hall Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Royal Hospital School teach?
- Royal Hospital School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is an independent school in Ipswich.
- Who is the headteacher of Royal Hospital School?
- The headteacher of Royal Hospital School is Mr Steven Dixon, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Royal Hospital School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Royal Hospital School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at Royal Hospital School?
- Royal Hospital School has 495 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Royal Hospital School full?
- Royal Hospital School has capacity for 820 pupils and 495 on roll (60%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Royal Hospital School a faith school?
- No. Royal Hospital School has no designated religious character.
- How have Royal Hospital School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 55.1 in 2022/23 and 50.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Royal Hospital School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Royal Hospital School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.