Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Church Road, Bentley, Ipswich, IP9 2BT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanne Austin
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Federation
- Bentley and Copdock Primary School Partnership
- Constituency
- South Suffolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 56
- Pupils on roll
- 40
- URN
- 124754
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473310253
About this school
Bentley 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 40 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bentley 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 23 May 2024, 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 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 44% | - |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 11% | - |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 78% | - |
| Expected standard in maths | 78% | 56% | - |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 44% | - |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 105.0 | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 100.0 | - |
| Reading progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -6.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.50 | - | - |
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 Bentley 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 | 44% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 44% | 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 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 56 |
| 2023/24 | 53 |
| 2024/25 | 44 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 33% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.3% | 22.7% | 40 | — |
| Tattingstone Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 43% | 5.9% | 24.4% | 30 | 1.3 miles |
| Capel St Mary Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 63% | 4.3% | 12.9% | 273 | 1.6 miles |
| Brooklands Primary School | 71% | 3.2% | 10.2% | 268 | 2.2 miles |
| Stutton Church of England Primary School | 50% | 5.7% | 21.3% | 76 | 2.7 miles |
| Copdock Primary School | 50% | 2.9% | 9.6% | 83 | 2.9 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)
- 22.73%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 6.3%
- Persistent absence
- 12.82%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Tattingstone Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Capel St Mary Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Brooklands Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Nr Manningtree
-
Stutton Church of England Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Copdock Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Ipswich
Other schools in Ipswich
- 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
- Chelmondiston Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Bentley 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 Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mrs Joanne Austin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bentley 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 Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 40 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 56 pupils and 40 on roll (71%), 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 Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is part of the Bentley and Copdock Primary School Partnership federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Bentley 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 44% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2023/24. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Bentley 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.