Castle Hill Infant School
Dryden Road, Ipswich, IP1 6QD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ASSET EDUCATION
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Smith
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Asset Education
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 251
- URN
- 141372
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473741758
About this school
Castle Hill Infant School is a primary academy in Ipswich. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 251 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Castle Hill Infant 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 December 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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.
Trends over time
How Castle Hill Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 217 |
| 2023/24 | 214 |
| 2024/25 | 220 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Castle Hill Infant 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% | 23.6% | 251 | — |
| Castle Hill Junior School | 57% | 5.9% | 37.4% | 288 | 0.0 miles |
| Dale Hall Community Primary School | 67% | 4% | 9.4% | 412 | 0.4 miles |
| St Pancras Catholic Primary School | 72% | 5.4% | 24.4% | 153 | 0.4 miles |
| The Beeches Community Primary School | 50% | 7.7% | 41.3% | 393 | 0.5 miles |
| Whitehouse Community Primary School | 46% | 6.5% | 38.6% | 551 | 1.0 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)
- 23.64%
- English as an additional language
- 16.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.3%
- Persistent absence
- 16.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Castle Hill Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Dale Hall Community Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
St Pancras Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
The Beeches Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Whitehouse Community Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ipswich
Other schools in Ipswich
- Bentley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- 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 Junior School Primary
- Cedarwood Primary School Primary
- Chelmondiston Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Castle Hill Infant School teach?
- Castle Hill Infant School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Ipswich.
- Who is the headteacher of Castle Hill Infant School?
- The headteacher of Castle Hill Infant School is Mrs Jennifer Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Castle Hill Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Castle Hill Infant 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 Castle Hill Infant School?
- Castle Hill Infant School has 251 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is Castle Hill Infant School full?
- Castle Hill Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 251 on roll (93%), 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 Castle Hill Infant School a faith school?
- No. Castle Hill Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Castle Hill Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Castle Hill Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Is Castle Hill Infant School part of an academy trust?
- Castle Hill Infant School is part of ASSET EDUCATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Castle Hill Infant School have?
- The schools register lists Castle Hill Infant School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Castle Hill Infant School's absence rate?
- Castle Hill Infant School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Castle Hill Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Castle Hill Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 1 July 2026.