Otley Primary School

Otley Primary School is a small, welcoming and nurturing primary where pupils feel safe, known and valued. Inspectors found the school performing well across its core work: pupils achieve well in reading, mathematics and the wider curriculum, behave respectfully, and benefit from strong personal development and early years provision. The curriculum is well planned and inclusive, reading is a clear priority, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified and supported effectively. Leadership is a notable strength. Leaders have responded resiliently to the significant disruption caused by a fire in December 2024, which required pupils to relocate to the partner school for a period before returning to the Otley site in June 2025. Governors know the school well, staff feel valued and supported, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is federated with Witnesham Primary School and shares leadership and governance. The main area for improvement is writing. Pupils do not consistently apply taught grammar, spelling and handwriting accurately, and the quality of their writing varies; some do not write clearly or at length with confidence. Pupils also have too few opportunities to practise and apply writing across the wider curriculum, which limits their stamina and use of subject-specific language. The school has begun to address this but recognises there is still work to do.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite and respectful in a close-knit, nurturing community.
• Pupils achieve well in reading, mathematics and across the wider curriculum.
• The curriculum is well planned, inclusive and carefully sequenced.
• Reading is a top priority, with effective phonics support and a positive reading culture.
• Children in the early years get off to a strong start.
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported effectively to learn alongside their peers.
• Behaviour is good, with calm and focused lessons.
• Personal development is well supported through leadership roles and lessons on respect and healthy relationships.
• Leaders know the school well and responded resiliently to the disruption caused by the fire.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge.
• Staff feel valued and well supported with training and workload.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently apply taught grammar, spelling and handwriting accurately in their writing.
• The quality of pupils' writing varies, and some do not write clearly or at length with confidence.
• Pupils have too few opportunities to practise and apply writing skills across the wider curriculum.
• Some pupils lack regular, meaningful opportunities to write at length in subjects beyond English.

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 Otley Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.2% 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, 7.0% of pupils at Otley 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 Otley Primary School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 54.5% 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, 41.2% of pupils at Otley Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 15.7% 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 2020–21 Otley Primary School received £7,146 and spent £6,125 for each of its 56 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £130,000 (£2,322 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 Ipswich · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

What is Otley Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Otley Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Otley Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Otley Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Otley Primary School have?

Otley Primary School has 51 pupils on roll.

What age range does Otley Primary School cover?

Otley Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Otley Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Otley Primary School?

Otley Primary School is at Chapel Road, Ipswich, IP6 9NT.