St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Back Hills, Botesdale, Nr Diss, IP22 1DW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Cobbold
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Constituency
- Waveney Valley
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 259
- Pupils on roll
- 180
- URN
- 124758
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01379890181
About this school
St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Nr Diss. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 180 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Botolph's 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
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 | 30 | 30 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 77% | 80% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 87% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 90% | 81% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 90% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 108.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.30 | - | - |
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 St Botolph's 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 | 77% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 176 |
| 2023/24 | 177 |
| 2024/25 | 181 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 67th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 5.7% | 14.9% | 180 | — |
| Wortham Primary School | 72% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 100 | 2.1 miles |
| Gislingham Church of England Primary School | 75% | 3.6% | 11.6% | 144 | 3.3 miles |
| Mellis Church of England Primary School | 65% | 3.1% | 7.5% | 147 | 3.7 miles |
| Bressingham Primary School | 73% | 2.6% | 8% | 139 | 3.7 miles |
| Walsham-le-Willows Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 56% | 4.6% | 19.1% | 117 | 3.8 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)
- 14.92%
- English as an additional language
- 3.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.7%
- Persistent absence
- 11.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wortham Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Diss
-
Gislingham Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Eye
-
Mellis Church of England Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Eye
-
Bressingham Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Diss
-
Walsham-le-Willows Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Bury St Edmunds
Other schools in Nr Diss
Common questions
- What ages does St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Nr Diss.
- Who is the headteacher of St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mr Mark Cobbold, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Botolph's 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 St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 180 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 259 pupils and 180 on roll (69%), 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 St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Botolph's 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 77% in 2022/23 and 69% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 67th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Botolph's 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.