Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School
The Street, Little Thurlow, Haverhill, CB9 7HY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sharon FitzGerald
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Federation
- Hundon and Thurlow Primary Federation
- Constituency
- West Suffolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 77
- URN
- 124698
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01440783281
About this school
Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Haverhill. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 77 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | - | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | - | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | - | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | - | 91% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | - | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | - | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | - | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.40 | - | - |
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 Thurlow 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 | 67% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | — | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59 |
| 2023/24 | 66 |
| 2024/25 | 78 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 44th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 5.5% | 15.4% | 77 | — |
| New Cangle Community Primary School | 50% | 4.8% | 13.8% | 210 | 3.0 miles |
| Kedington Primary Academy | 84% | 5.5% | 11.2% | 208 | 3.1 miles |
| Westfield Primary Academy | 55% | 5.9% | 24.3% | 425 | 3.2 miles |
| Place Farm Primary Academy | 75% | 6.3% | 31.3% | 416 | 3.5 miles |
| St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, Haverhill | 45% | 4.3% | 11.9% | 217 | 3.5 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)
- 15.38%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.54%
- Persistent absence
- 11.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
New Cangle Community Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Haverhill
-
Kedington Primary Academy3.1 miles
Primary · Haverhill
-
Westfield Primary Academy3.2 miles
Primary · Haverhill
-
Place Farm Primary Academy3.5 miles
Primary · Haverhill
-
St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, Haverhill3.5 miles
Primary · Haverhill
Other schools in Haverhill
Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 4th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Haverhill.
- Burton End Primary Academy Primary
- Clements Primary Academy Primary
- Coupals Primary Academy Primary
- Kedington Primary Academy Primary
- New Cangle Community Primary School Primary
- Place Farm Primary Academy Primary
- St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, Haverhill Primary
- Steeple Bumpstead Primary School Primary
- Westfield Primary Academy Primary
- Castle Manor Academy Secondary
- Samuel Ward Academy Secondary
- Broadlands Hall Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Haverhill.
- Who is the headteacher of Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Sharon FitzGerald, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thurlow 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 big is Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 77 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 77 on roll (73%), 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 Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is part of the Hundon and Thurlow Primary Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School rank locally?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 44th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thurlow 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.