Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Carlton Road, Kelsale, Saxmundham, IP17 2NP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Nicola Johnson
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Constituency
- Suffolk Coastal
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 166
- Pupils on roll
- 166
- URN
- 124735
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01728602297
About this school
Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Saxmundham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 166 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kelsale 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 29 September 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 | 23 | 25 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 74% | 60% | 78% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 0% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 72% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 84% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 68% | 56% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
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 Kelsale 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 | 74% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 171 |
| 2023/24 | 163 |
| 2024/25 | 159 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 25th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 78% | 5.1% | 16.4% | 166 | — |
| Saxmundham Primary School | 63% | 5.1% | 41.5% | 252 | 0.6 miles |
| Benhall St Mary's Church of England Primary School | 56% | 7.2% | 38.7% | 77 | 1.8 miles |
| Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy | 30% | 8.4% | 35.6% | 88 | 2.9 miles |
| Middleton Community Primary School | — | 5% | 26.3% | 16 | 3.5 miles |
| Snape Primary School | 43% | 7.3% | 10.5% | 103 | 3.7 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)
- 16.35%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.14%
- Persistent absence
- 15.07%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Saxmundham Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Benhall St Mary's Church of England Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy2.9 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Middleton Community Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Snape Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
Other schools in Saxmundham
Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 1st of the 6 ranked primary schools in Saxmundham.
- Benhall St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Coldfair Green Community Primary School Primary
- Middleton Community Primary School Primary
- Saxmundham Primary School Primary
- Snape Primary School Primary
- Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Saxmundham.
- Who is the headteacher of Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Nicola Johnson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kelsale 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 Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 166 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 166 pupils and 166 on roll (100%), 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 Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Kelsale 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 74% in 2022/23 and 78% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 25th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 84% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kelsale 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.