St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Church Road, Bulmer, Sudbury, CO10 7EH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jinnie Nichols
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Federation
- The Chorus Schools Federation
- Constituency
- Braintree
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 120
- Pupils on roll
- 64
- URN
- 115067
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01787372383
About this school
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Sudbury. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 64 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 40% | 60% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 7% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 60% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 33% | 47% | 60% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 33% | 53% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 | 99.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 17% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 40% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 60% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72 |
| 2023/24 | 88 |
| 2024/25 | 61 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 240th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60% | 4.8% | 18% | 64 | — |
| St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 64% | 4.4% | 26.7% | 227 | 1.7 miles |
| St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School | 73% | 5.5% | 16.6% | 137 | 2.0 miles |
| Tudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury | 53% | 5.3% | 28% | 268 | 2.4 miles |
| Pot Kiln Primary School | 47% | 7.4% | 31.5% | 236 | 2.5 miles |
| Woodhall Primary School | 78% | 5% | 34.2% | 448 | 2.6 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)
- 18.03%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.77%
- Persistent absence
- 8.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Sudbury
-
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Sudbury
-
Tudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury2.4 miles
Primary · Sudbury
-
Pot Kiln Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Sudbury
-
Woodhall Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Sudbury
Other schools in Sudbury
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 9th of the 15 ranked primary schools in Sudbury.
- Acton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Belchamp St Paul Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boxford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Cavendish Church of England Primary School Primary
- Clare Community Primary School Primary
- Glemsford Primary Academy Primary
- Great Waldingfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Hundon Community Primary School Primary
- Lavenham Community Primary School Primary
- Long Melford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Pot Kiln Primary School Primary
- St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Sudbury.
- Who is the headteacher of St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Jinnie Nichols, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 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 St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 64 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 120 pupils and 64 on roll (53%), 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 St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School part of an academy trust?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is part of the The Chorus Schools Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 17% in 2022/23 and 60% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Essex?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 240th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 30 June 2026.