Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School
School Corner, Debenham, Stowmarket, IP14 6PL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Dumolo
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 169
- URN
- 124774
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01728860201
About this school
Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Stowmarket. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 169 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 | 29 | 25 | 33 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 60% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 8% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 84% | 91% |
| Expected standard in maths | 59% | 72% | 79% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 80% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
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 Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 | 52% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 164 |
| 2023/24 | 160 |
| 2024/25 | 170 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School compares
Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School ranked 129th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 4.5% | 15.1% | 169 | — |
| Helmingham Primary School and Nursery | — | 14.6% | 5.6% | 30 | 3.1 miles |
| Bedfield Church of England Primary School | — | 5.9% | 28.6% | 18 | 3.4 miles |
| Wetheringsett Church of England Primary School | — | 3.3% | 15.8% | 40 | 3.4 miles |
| Stonham Aspal Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 45% | 5% | 9.6% | 162 | 3.5 miles |
| Earl Soham Community Primary School | 63% | 3.3% | 16.9% | 78 | 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)
- 15.09%
- English as an additional language
- 1.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.51%
- Persistent absence
- 9.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Helmingham Primary School and Nursery3.1 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Bedfield Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Woodbridge
-
Wetheringsett Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Stonham Aspal Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Stowmarket
-
Earl Soham Community Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Woodbridge
Other schools in Stowmarket
Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School ranks 8th 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
- Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Helmingham Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Mendlesham Primary School Primary
- Old Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School teach?
- Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Stowmarket.
- Who is the headteacher of Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School?
- The headteacher of Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School is Mrs Laura Dumolo, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School?
- Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School has 169 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School full?
- Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School has capacity for 210 pupils and 169 on roll (80%), 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 Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School a faith school?
- Yes. Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
- Does Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School as having nursery classes.
- How have Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School rank locally?
- Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School ranked 129th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School's absence rate?
- Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School's overall absence rate is 4.5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided 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.