Saxmundham Primary School
Brook Farm Road, Saxmundham, IP17 1XQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- EAST ANGLIAN SCHOOLS TRUST LTD
- Headteacher
- Mr James Ratcliffe
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- East Anglian Schools Trust
- Constituency
- Suffolk Coastal
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 252
- URN
- 146494
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01728602205
About this school
Saxmundham Primary School is a primary academy in Saxmundham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 252 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Saxmundham 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. 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 | 41 | 40 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 48% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 66% | 55% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 73% | 68% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 65% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.40 | - | - |
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 Saxmundham 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 | 59% | 54.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 57.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 268 |
| 2023/24 | 274 |
| 2024/25 | 254 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Saxmundham Primary School compares
Saxmundham Primary School ranked 106th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 5.1% | 41.5% | 252 | — |
| Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 78% | 5.1% | 16.4% | 166 | 0.6 miles |
| Benhall St Mary's Church of England Primary School | 56% | 7.2% | 38.7% | 77 | 1.3 miles |
| Snape Primary School | 43% | 7.3% | 10.5% | 103 | 3.3 miles |
| Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy | 30% | 8.4% | 35.6% | 88 | 3.4 miles |
| Coldfair Green Community Primary School | 42% | 6.2% | 14.2% | 160 | 3.9 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.
Inspection history
- 23 April 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report20 October 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 41.53%
- English as an additional language
- 5.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.11%
- Persistent absence
- 12.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Kelsale Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Benhall St Mary's Church of England Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Snape Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy3.4 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
-
Coldfair Green Community Primary School3.9 miles
Primary · Saxmundham
Other schools in Saxmundham
Saxmundham Primary School ranks 2nd of the 6 ranked primary schools in Saxmundham.
Common questions
- What ages does Saxmundham Primary School teach?
- Saxmundham Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Saxmundham.
- Who is the headteacher of Saxmundham Primary School?
- The headteacher of Saxmundham Primary School is Mr James Ratcliffe, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Saxmundham Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Saxmundham 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 Saxmundham Primary School?
- Saxmundham Primary School has 252 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Saxmundham Primary School full?
- Saxmundham Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 252 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 Saxmundham Primary School a faith school?
- No. Saxmundham Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Saxmundham Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Saxmundham Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Saxmundham Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Saxmundham Primary School is part of EAST ANGLIAN SCHOOLS TRUST LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Saxmundham Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Saxmundham Primary School compare with other schools in Suffolk?
- Saxmundham Primary School ranked 106th of 225 primary schools in Suffolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Saxmundham Primary School's absence rate?
- Saxmundham Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Saxmundham Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Saxmundham 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.