Lipson Co-operative Academy
Bernice Terrace, Lipson, Plymouth, PL4 7PG
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE TED WRAGG MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mr Tom Goodman
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,150
- Pupils on roll
- 1,131
- URN
- 136668
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752671318
About this school
Lipson Co-operative Academy is a secondary academy in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,131 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Lipson Co-operative 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Strong standard
- Post-16 provision
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 178 | 171 | 170 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.4 | 47.5 | 43.5 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.24 +0.03 to +0.46 | +0.40 +0.18 to +0.62 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 40% | 50.9% | 41.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 67.3% | 61.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 24% | 17.5% | 10% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
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 Lipson Co-operative 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 | Plymouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 45.4 | 39.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47.5 | 41.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.5 | 42 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,132 |
| 2023/24 | 1,102 |
| 2024/25 | 1,096 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Lipson Co-operative Academy compares
Lipson Co-operative Academy ranked 8th of 19 secondary schools in Plymouth for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 51% 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 | 43.5 | 9.9% | 44.8% | 1,131 | — |
| Plymouth High School for Girls | 65.5 | 5.9% | 11.2% | 782 | 0.8 miles |
| Eggbuckland Community College | 42.3 | 10.4% | 21.7% | 1,007 | 1.3 miles |
| Devonport High School for Girls | 73.8 | 5% | 9.8% | 971 | 1.6 miles |
| Millbay Academy | 36.9 | 15.7% | 58.7% | 526 | 1.7 miles |
| Stoke Damerel Community College | 35.9 | 12.6% | 41.7% | 1,292 | 1.8 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report28 April 2026
- 3 November 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 44.83%
- English as an additional language
- 14.8%
- Overall absence
- 9.89%
- Persistent absence
- 29.45%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Plymouth High School for Girls0.8 miles
Secondary · Plymouth
-
Eggbuckland Community College1.3 miles
Secondary · Plymouth
-
Devonport High School for Girls1.6 miles
Secondary · Plymouth
-
Millbay Academy1.7 miles
Secondary · Plymouth
-
Stoke Damerel Community College1.8 miles
Secondary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
Lipson Co-operative Academy ranks 8th of the 19 ranked secondary schools in Plymouth.
- All Saints Church of England Academy Secondary
- Coombe Dean School Secondary
- Devonport High School for Boys Secondary
- Devonport High School for Girls Secondary
- Eggbuckland Community College Secondary
- Hele's School Secondary
- Marine Academy Plymouth Secondary
- Millbay Academy Secondary
- Notre Dame RC School Secondary
- Plymouth High School for Girls Secondary
- Plympton Academy Secondary
- Plymstock School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Lipson Co-operative Academy teach?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the principal of Lipson Co-operative Academy?
- The principal of Lipson Co-operative Academy is Mr Tom Goodman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Lipson Co-operative Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Lipson Co-operative 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 Lipson Co-operative Academy?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy has 1,131 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Lipson Co-operative Academy full?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy has capacity for 1,150 pupils and 1,131 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Lipson Co-operative Academy a faith school?
- No. Lipson Co-operative Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Lipson Co-operative Academy a selective school?
- No. Lipson Co-operative Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Lipson Co-operative Academy part of an academy trust?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy is part of THE TED WRAGG MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Lipson Co-operative Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45.4 in 2022/23 and 43.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Lipson Co-operative Academy compare with other schools in Plymouth?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy ranked 8th of 19 secondary schools in Plymouth for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 51% 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 Lipson Co-operative Academy's absence rate?
- Lipson Co-operative Academy's overall absence rate is 9.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Lipson Co-operative Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Lipson Co-operative 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 15 July 2026.