Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre

Southwold Primary School and Early Years’ Centre is a warm, diverse community school where pupils are happy, safe and well supported, including many who join partway through the year or are new to speaking English. Inspectors found the school performing well across the board, with good judgements for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. The school has an ambitious curriculum, reading is a clear priority, SEND needs are identified accurately, behaviour is calm and orderly, and pupils benefit from strong wider opportunities and effective safeguarding. Governors and staff development are also strengths. This was the first routine inspection since the pandemic, and the report notes that published results do not fully reflect pupils’ achievements because of high pupil mobility. Across the school, relationships are positive and most pupils meet high expectations for behaviour. The curriculum is well thought out in most respects and helps pupils build knowledge, with a particular focus on early language, phonics and mathematics. Pupils with SEND are supported appropriately, and pupils learn about equality, citizenship and staying safe. However, the report identifies three main areas for improvement. In a few subjects, the curriculum is new and does not yet build well enough on what pupils already know. Staff do not consistently correct pupils’ misconceptions and errors, including in phonics. Attendance is also a concern: despite an appropriate focus, too many pupils still miss too much school and fall behind. Overall, the school is providing a good education and has a clear basis for further improvement.

Strengths

• Warm and inclusive community that helps pupils joining mid-year and new to English settle quickly
• Ambitious curriculum with clear knowledge endpoints and opportunities to revisit important knowledge
• Strong focus on reading and phonics, with early language foundations and catch-up support
• Accurate identification and appropriate support for pupils with SEND
• Calm and orderly school with high behavioural expectations and positive relationships
• High-quality wider opportunities for pupils’ character development and well-being
• Effective governors who understand their roles and duties
• High-quality professional development for staff, with consideration given to workload
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, the curriculum is new and does not build effectively enough on pupils’ prior knowledge
• Staff do not consistently identify and resolve pupils’ misconceptions and errors, including in phonics
• Too many pupils continue to miss too much school despite the school’s attendance focus

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 Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre 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 Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre had 25.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% 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, 8.4% of pupils at Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.0% 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 Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre received £8,662 and spent £8,962 for each of its 191 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £159,000 (£832 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).

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What is Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre last inspected by Ofsted?

Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre have?

Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre cover?

Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre?

Southwold Primary School and Early Years' Centre is at Kennington Road, Radford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG8 1QD.