Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Rectory Road, Whatfield, Ipswich, IP7 6QU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julia Shaw
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Constituency
- South Suffolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 56
- Pupils on roll
- 44
- URN
- 124718
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473823309
About this school
Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Ipswich. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 44 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 33% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 29% | 83% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 14% | 33% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 29% | 83% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 96.0 | 108.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 94.0 | 100.0 | - |
| Reading progress | -4.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.70 | - | - |
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 Whatfield 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 | 14% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 33% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | — | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40 |
| 2023/24 | 40 |
| 2024/25 | 39 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 8.7% | 23.1% | 44 | — |
| Beaumont Community Primary School | 67% | 7.4% | 25.6% | 101 | 1.8 miles |
| Kersey Church of England Primary School | — | 9.8% | 27.5% | 40 | 1.9 miles |
| Elmsett Church of England Primary School | 38% | 3.3% | 28.1% | 41 | 2.3 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Hadleigh | 46% | 6.9% | 25.8% | 122 | 2.3 miles |
| Bildeston Primary School | 73% | 4.4% | 21% | 117 | 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)
- 23.08%
- English as an additional language
- 2.6%
- Overall absence
- 8.69%
- Persistent absence
- 19.44%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Beaumont Community Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Hadleigh
-
Kersey Church of England Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Elmsett Church of England Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Hadleigh2.3 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Bildeston Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Ipswich
Other 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
- Bucklesham 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Ipswich.
- Who is the headteacher of Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Julia Shaw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Whatfield 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 big is Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 44 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 56 pupils and 44 on roll (79%), 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 Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Whatfield 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 14% in 2022/23 and 33% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Whatfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Whatfield 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.