Sutton CofE VA Primary School

Sutton CofE VA Primary is a small Church of England primary that has recently completed a significant transition from a lower school to a primary school, now admitting pupils in Years 5 and 6. Inspectors found a school performing strongly in most areas, with safeguarding standards met and a clear culture of keeping pupils safe. Leaders are accurate about strengths and priorities, governance is effective, and pupils sit at the heart of decisions. Pupils attend well, behave extremely well and learn in a calm, positive environment. Inclusion is a notable strength: needs are identified quickly, SEND support is precise, and disadvantaged pupils benefit from well-used pupil premium funding. Personal development is also strong, with pupils respectful of difference, well taught about safety and health, and given meaningful opportunities such as the Sutton Challenge and school parliament. Reading and mathematics teaching are effective, and early years children settle well and learn to read. The main areas for further work are writing and early years practice. Some pupils do not yet secure the knowledge and skills to become proficient writers, which affects longer pieces of work, and leaders have rightly identified the need to strengthen grammar, spelling and composition across the curriculum. In early years, activities are not always precisely designed to help children practise and consolidate the most important knowledge and skills. Overall, the school is fulfilling expectations and has strong practice in several areas, with writing and early years as the clear development priorities.

Strengths

• High attendance, with leaders intervening early when attendance begins to dip.
• Pupils behave extremely well and show highly positive attitudes to learning.
• Inclusion is strong, with accurate identification of needs and precise SEND support.
• Pupil premium funding is used well to support disadvantaged pupils academically and pastorally.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with accurate self-evaluation and strong challenge and support.
• Staff benefit from a rich professional learning offer that has improved curriculum and teaching.
• Personal development is strong, including respect for difference and age-appropriate safety education.
• Parents are highly positive and the school is a central part of its community.
• Reading and mathematics teaching are effective, and pupils secure important phonics and mathematical knowledge.
• Early years children settle well, become independent and learn to read confidently.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not secure the knowledge and skills needed to become proficient writers, particularly in longer pieces.
• Teaching needs to strengthen pupils' grammar, spelling and composition across the curriculum.
• Early years activities are not always precisely designed to help children practise, apply and consolidate learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sutton CofE VA Primary School attended 96.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Sutton CofE VA Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Sutton CofE VA Primary School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 6.1% of pupils at Sutton CofE VA Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Sutton CofE VA Primary School received £7,795 and spent £7,799 for each of its 98 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £109,000 (£1,114 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Central Bedfordshire · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is Sutton CofE VA Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sutton CofE VA Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Sutton CofE VA Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sutton CofE VA Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Sutton CofE VA Primary School have?

Sutton CofE VA Primary School has 98 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sutton CofE VA Primary School cover?

Sutton CofE VA Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Sutton CofE VA Primary School?

Sutton CofE VA Primary School is at High Street, Sutton, Bedfordshire, SG19 2NE.