Samuel Ward Academy
Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, CB9 0LD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Headteacher
- Mr Tom Johnston
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Unity Schools Partnership
- Constituency
- West Suffolk
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,250
- Pupils on roll
- 1,076
- URN
- 136322
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01440761511
About this school
Samuel Ward Academy is a secondary academy in Haverhill. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,076 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Samuel Ward Academy, and its latest judgement is set out below. 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 227 | 228 | 195 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.6 | 43.2 | 43.8 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.23 -0.42 to -0.05 | -0.23 -0.42 to -0.04 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 36.4% | 42.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 64% | 64.5% | 60.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 15% | 19.7% | 20.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
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 Samuel Ward Academy 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 | 44.6 | 37.4 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.2 | 37.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.8 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,219 |
| 2023/24 | 1,176 |
| 2024/25 | 1,152 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Samuel Ward Academy compares
Samuel Ward Academy ranked 22nd of 43 secondary schools in Suffolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 52% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43.8 | 10.1% | 18.9% | 1,076 | — |
| Castle Manor Academy | 40.3 | 9.7% | 29.7% | 760 | 0.9 miles |
| Stour Valley Community School | 44.5 | 10.1% | 19.3% | 569 | 6.1 miles |
| Linton Village College | 52.4 | 7.4% | 16.4% | 766 | 7.5 miles |
| Hedingham School and Sixth Form | 39.9 | 10.4% | 16% | 1,177 | 9.4 miles |
| Saffron Walden County High School | 59.7 | 7.2% | 11.6% | 2,157 | 10.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.92%
- English as an additional language
- 14.1%
- Overall absence
- 10.09%
- Persistent absence
- 26.26%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castle Manor Academy0.9 miles
Secondary · Haverhill
-
Stour Valley Community School6.1 miles
Secondary · Sudbury
-
Linton Village College7.5 miles
Secondary · Cambridge
-
Hedingham School and Sixth Form9.4 miles
Secondary · Halstead
-
Saffron Walden County High School10.4 miles
Secondary · Saffron Walden
Other schools in Haverhill
- Castle Manor Academy Secondary
- Burton End Primary Academy Primary
- Clements Primary Academy Primary
- Coupals Primary Academy Primary
- Kedington Primary Academy Primary
- New Cangle Community Primary School Primary
- Place Farm Primary Academy Primary
- St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, Haverhill Primary
- Steeple Bumpstead Primary School Primary
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Westfield Primary Academy Primary
- Broadlands Hall Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Samuel Ward Academy teach?
- Samuel Ward Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Haverhill.
- Who is the headteacher of Samuel Ward Academy?
- The headteacher of Samuel Ward Academy is Mr Tom Johnston, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Samuel Ward Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Samuel Ward Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Samuel Ward Academy?
- Samuel Ward Academy has 1,076 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Samuel Ward Academy full?
- Samuel Ward Academy has capacity for 1,250 pupils and 1,076 on roll (86%), 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 Samuel Ward Academy a faith school?
- No. Samuel Ward Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Samuel Ward Academy a selective school?
- No. Samuel Ward Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Samuel Ward Academy part of an academy trust?
- Samuel Ward Academy is part of UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Samuel Ward Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.6 in 2022/23 and 43.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Samuel Ward Academy compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- Samuel Ward Academy ranked 22nd of 43 secondary schools in Suffolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 52% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 8% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Samuel Ward Academy's absence rate?
- Samuel Ward Academy's overall absence rate is 10.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Samuel Ward Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Samuel Ward Academy'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 1 July 2026.