Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' rating in all inspected categories. The school fosters a positive environment where pupils are proud to attend and enjoy their learning experiences. A strengthened curriculum supports effective learning, especially in early years, and the school promotes strong behavioural standards and respects among pupils. There is notable dedication to supporting students' well-being and personal development, alongside effective safeguarding measures. This inspection is the school's first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting resilience and effective adaptation during challenging times.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and are well supported by adults in managing their behaviour.
• The curriculum is well-structured, promoting important vocabulary and knowledge.
• Strong subject knowledge among staff helps facilitate student learning.
• Pupils with special educational needs receive effective and targeted support.
• Positive leadership has effectively managed staff workloads and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff do not check pupils' understanding precisely enough in a few subjects.
• New subject leaders lack established monitoring of pupil achievements.
• Interventions for struggling readers are sometimes mismatched to development needs.

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 Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.3% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Thurlow Voluntary Controlled 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 Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.0% 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, 24.7% of pupils at Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.3% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Haverhill · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

What is Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?

Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 77 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School cover?

Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School?

Thurlow Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at The Street, Little Thurlow, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7HY.