Handford Hall Primary School
57 Gatacre Road, Ipswich, IP1 2LQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- ORWELL MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Katarzyna Blake
- Sponsor
- Orwell Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Ipswich
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 360
- URN
- 144212
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01473251603
About this school
Handford Hall Primary School is a primary academy in Ipswich. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 360 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 43 | 53 | 53 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 72% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 13% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 72% | 74% | 66% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 83% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 68% | 47% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +4.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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 Handford Hall 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 | 67% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 374 |
| 2023/24 | 373 |
| 2024/25 | 358 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Handford Hall Primary School compares
Handford Hall Primary School ranked 108th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 5.4% | 33.8% | 360 | — |
| Ranelagh Primary School | 23% | 7.3% | 34.4% | 281 | 0.4 miles |
| Springfield Junior School | 49% | 5.7% | 33% | 354 | 0.4 miles |
| Springfield Infant School and Nursery | — | 5.5% | 19.9% | 287 | 0.4 miles |
| St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich | 47% | 9.2% | 36.1% | 407 | 0.5 miles |
| St Mark's Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | 202 | 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.
Inspection history
- 19 January 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report12 February 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.8%
- English as an additional language
- 76.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.44%
- Persistent absence
- 18.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ranelagh Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Springfield Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
Springfield Infant School and Nursery0.4 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich0.5 miles
Primary · Ipswich
-
St Mark's Catholic Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Ipswich
Other schools in Ipswich
Handford Hall Primary School ranks 22nd of the 55 ranked primary 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 Infant School Primary
- Castle Hill Junior School Primary
- Cedarwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Handford Hall Primary School teach?
- Handford Hall Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ipswich.
- Who is the headteacher of Handford Hall Primary School?
- The headteacher of Handford Hall Primary School is Mrs Katarzyna Blake, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Handford Hall Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Handford Hall 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 big is Handford Hall Primary School?
- Handford Hall Primary School has 360 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Handford Hall Primary School full?
- Handford Hall Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 360 on roll (114%), 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 Handford Hall Primary School a faith school?
- No. Handford Hall Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Handford Hall Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Handford Hall Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Handford Hall Primary School?
- Handford Hall Primary School is part of ORWELL MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Handford Hall Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Handford Hall Primary School rank locally?
- Handford Hall Primary School ranked 108th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Handford Hall Primary School's absence rate?
- Handford Hall Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Handford Hall Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Handford Hall 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 10 July 2026.