Bucklesham Primary School
Main Road, Bucklesham, Ipswich, IP10 0AX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Rachael Rudge
- Constituency
- Suffolk Coastal
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 104
- URN
- 124572
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473659389
About this school
Bucklesham Primary School is a community primary school in Ipswich. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 104 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bucklesham 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
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
- 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 | 15 | 15 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 40% | 40% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 67% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 40% | 53% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 47% | 60% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 102.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 97.0 | 100.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -5.70 | - | - |
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 Bucklesham 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 | Suffolk average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 40% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 99 |
| 2023/24 | 91 |
| 2024/25 | 92 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bucklesham Primary School compares
Bucklesham Primary School ranked 57th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% 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 | 71% | 4.7% | 6.5% | 104 | — |
| Birchwood Primary School | 73% | 3.6% | 8.7% | 209 | 2.2 miles |
| Nacton Church of England Primary School | 53% | 4.4% | 10.8% | 100 | 2.2 miles |
| Waldringfield Primary School | — | — | — | 69 | 2.3 miles |
| Gorseland Primary School | 63% | 4.3% | 10.5% | 461 | 2.4 miles |
| Cedarwood Primary School | 57% | 4.1% | 9.2% | 399 | 2.5 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)
- 6.52%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 4.7%
- Persistent absence
- 8.86%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Birchwood Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Nacton Church of England Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Waldringfield Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Woodbridge
-
Gorseland Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Cedarwood Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Ipswich
Other schools in Ipswich
Bucklesham Primary School ranks 10th of the 55 ranked primary schools in Ipswich.
- 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
- Capel St Mary Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Castle Hill Infant School Primary
- Castle Hill Junior School Primary
- Cedarwood Primary School Primary
- Chelmondiston Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bucklesham Primary School teach?
- Bucklesham Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ipswich.
- Who is the headteacher of Bucklesham Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bucklesham Primary School is Miss Rachael Rudge, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bucklesham Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bucklesham 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 Bucklesham Primary School?
- Bucklesham Primary School has 104 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Bucklesham Primary School full?
- Bucklesham Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 104 on roll (99%), 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 Bucklesham Primary School a faith school?
- No. Bucklesham Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bucklesham Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bucklesham Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Bucklesham Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 40% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Bucklesham Primary School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- Bucklesham Primary School ranked 57th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% 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 Bucklesham Primary School's absence rate?
- Bucklesham Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bucklesham Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bucklesham 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.