Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
High Road, Great Finborough, Stowmarket, IP14 3AQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Stephen Dodd
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Constituency
- Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 108
- URN
- 124732
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01449613208
About this school
Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Stowmarket. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 108 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 | 18 | 17 | 14 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 47% | 50% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 94% | 65% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 53% | 50% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 41% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 99.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +5.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
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 Great Finborough 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 | 67% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 50% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 127 |
| 2023/24 | 116 |
| 2024/25 | 108 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 172nd of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 50% | 5.9% | 11.1% | 108 | — |
| Wood Ley Community Primary School | 49% | 4.9% | 16.5% | 307 | 1.9 miles |
| Grace Cook Primary School | — | 4.9% | 13.3% | 203 | 2.0 miles |
| Abbot's Hall Community Primary School | 63% | 4.3% | 16.3% | 366 | 2.1 miles |
| Chilton Community Primary School | 68% | 5.3% | 43.4% | 133 | 2.2 miles |
| Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy | 75% | 3.9% | 16.8% | 135 | 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.
Inspection history
- 29 November 2022
-
Ungraded inspection report29 September 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.11%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.9%
- Persistent absence
- 11.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wood Ley Community Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Grace Cook Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Abbot's Hall Community Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Chilton Community Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy2.5 miles
Primary · Bury St Edmunds
Other schools in Stowmarket
Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 11th of the 15 ranked primary schools in Stowmarket.
- Abbot's Hall Community Primary School Primary
- Bacton Primary School Primary
- Cedars Park Community Primary School Primary
- Chilton Community Primary School Primary
- Combs Ford Primary School Primary
- Crawford's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Freeman Community Primary School Primary
- Grace Cook Primary School Primary
- Helmingham Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Mendlesham Primary School Primary
- Old Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ringshall School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Stowmarket.
- Who is the headteacher of Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mr Stephen Dodd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Great Finborough 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 Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 108 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 150 pupils and 108 on roll (72%), 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 Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Great Finborough 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 67% in 2022/23 and 50% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School rank locally?
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 172nd of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 21% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Great Finborough 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.