Gorseland Primary School

Gorseland Primary School is a large, inclusive primary with two special educational needs units and a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans. Inspectors found the school performing securely overall, with high expectations from leaders, a broad and appropriately sequenced curriculum, and attainment at the end of key stage 2 close to national averages. Pupils are positive, respectful and safe, behaviour is consistent, and attendance and persistent absence have improved markedly. Safeguarding standards are met. The school’s notable strengths include strong teaching in English and mathematics, effective early years provision, well-supported pupils with SEND, and a thoughtful personal development programme that gives pupils genuine voice. Governance is knowledgeable and supportive, staff wellbeing is generally positive, and leaders have managed improvement well. However, teaching is less effective in some subjects beyond English and mathematics, and some disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they could, with published data showing a wide disadvantage gap. Leaders do not yet use progress, attendance and behaviour information strategically enough to evaluate which strategies have most impact, and some disadvantaged pupils do not fully take up after-school club opportunities.

Strengths

• Leaders have high expectations and ambition for all pupils.
• Overall key stage 2 attainment is close to national averages and pupils are well prepared for the next stage.
• Pupils acquire essential knowledge and can recall important curriculum content.
• Attendance has improved and persistent absence has reduced significantly.
• A consistent behaviour approach helps pupils be ready, respectful and safe.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and appropriately sequenced.
• English and mathematics are taught consistently well with effective routines.
• Staff adapt teaching well for pupils with SEND and help pupils keep up and catch up.
• Early years provision is strong, with purposeful talk, phonics and close work with parents.
• The school is inclusive, with pupils in the two SEN units fully included in school life.
• Personal development is effective, covering online safety, relationships, democracy and pupil voice.
• Pupils show care and respect for each other, and bullying is extremely rare and swiftly resolved.
• Governance is knowledgeable, supportive and challenging, and considers staff wellbeing.

Areas for Improvement

• The curriculum is not taught as effectively in some subjects beyond English and mathematics.
• Some disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they could, and the disadvantage gap remains wide.
• Leaders do not always use progress, achievement, attendance and behaviour information strategically enough to evaluate impact.
• Leaders are still developing how they evaluate which strategies have the strongest impact.
• Some disadvantaged pupils do not fully take up after-school club opportunities.

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 Gorseland Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.4% 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 Gorseland 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 Gorseland Primary School had 20.2 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, 6.9% of pupils at Gorseland Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 31 pupils.

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 Gorseland Primary School received £7,331 and spent £7,324 for each of its 441 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £543,000 (£1,232 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 Gorseland Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Gorseland Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gorseland Primary School was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Gorseland Primary School have?

Gorseland Primary School has 461 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gorseland Primary School cover?

Gorseland Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Gorseland Primary School?

Gorseland Primary School is at Deben Avenue, Martlesham Heath, Gorseland, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP5 3QR.