Orwell High School was a medium size secondary community school with Specialist Technology College status located in the port town of Felixstowe

Felixstowe

Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...

, Suffolk, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. In September 2009 the school became a foundation school supported by the charitable Felixstowe Learning Trust. In September 2011, the school was closed, and merged with Deben High School, to form the Felixstowe Academy

Ofsted Reports

In 2006 the school was issued with a notice to improve. There was a subsequent inspection in 2007 in which the school was seen to be making "satisfactory progress" and therefore the notice to improve was revoked. In 2010 51% of Orwell candidates gained five GCSEs grade A* to C in English and Maths.

In October 2009 OFSTED stated that the school was satisfactory, but Leadership and Management and the Capacity to Improve were both good.

Pupils and further education students

The school has 770+ students on roll, including a sixth form, which is shared with Deben High School

Deben High School

Deben High School is a secondary school in Felixstowe, Suffolk in the United Kingdom. It shares a joint sixth form with Orwell High School called "Felixstowe Sixth Form"....

, of around 120. Age ranges from 11-18, but facilities are also offered for adult learners outside of school hours. The school is mixed sex and non-denominational.

The majority of students are from White British backgrounds and almost all have English as their first language. The school has a higher proportion of students with special educational needs than the national average.

The school offers further education (FE) courses, primarily at A-Level, but also several specialised vocational courses.

Leadership

The Executive Headteacher, Robert Cawley, started at the school in 2010, following a period of instability and leadership change. The previous Headteacher, Peter Tomkins resigned from his post in May 2010 having been suspended since February 2010. A statement from John Barker, the Chair of Governors, thanked Peter for his hard work and dedication.