Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Mill Lane, Barnham, Nr Thetford, IP24 2NG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Amy Arnold
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Constituency
- Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 146
- Pupils on roll
- 155
- URN
- 124688
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01842890253
About this school
Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Nr Thetford. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 155 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Barnham 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 7 December 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 26 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 73% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 15% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 88% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 81% | 57% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 77% | 57% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 107.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 106.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.50 | - | - |
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 Barnham 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 | Suffolk average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 157 |
| 2023/24 | 154 |
| 2024/25 | 159 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 139th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 5% | 15.1% | 155 | — |
| Queensway Infant Academy | — | 8.3% | 52% | 101 | 2.0 miles |
| Queensway Junior Academy | 51% | 6.2% | 51.7% | 141 | 2.1 miles |
| Redcastle Family School | 70% | 5.3% | 40.5% | 277 | 2.4 miles |
| Norwich Road Academy | 58% | 6.1% | 30.7% | 317 | 2.7 miles |
| The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy | 27% | 7.8% | 61.7% | 330 | 2.8 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 15.09%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 11.97%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Queensway Infant Academy2.0 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Queensway Junior Academy2.1 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Redcastle Family School2.4 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Norwich Road Academy2.7 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy2.8 miles
Primary · Thetford
Common questions
- What ages does Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Nr Thetford.
- Who is the headteacher of Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Amy Arnold, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barnham 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 Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 155 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 146 pupils and 155 on roll (106%), so it is at or above 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 Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Barnham 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 57% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 139th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barnham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barnham 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.