Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is effectively maintaining the standards set at its last inspection, demonstrating a strong commitment to pupil well-being and academic achievement. The school has a nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and are well-prepared for future educational stages. There is a collaborative atmosphere, with high expectations for conduct and a commendable approach to integrating pupils with special educational needs. Parents express positive sentiments about the school's community ethos and overall management.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school environment
• High expectations for pupils' conduct and achievement
• Well-designed and ambitious curriculum in most subjects
• Strong emphasis on reading and effective phonics programme
• Good support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Positive attitudes towards education among pupils
• Effective personal development programmes that teach right from wrong

Areas for Improvement

• Some foundation subjects lack clear guidelines on key knowledge retention
• In a few subjects, unclear expectations limit teachers' ability to link new learning to prior knowledge

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 Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.8% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Blundeston Church of England 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 Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.7% 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, 12.1% of pupils at Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School received £6,745 and spent £6,858 for each of its 173 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £97,000 (£562 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 Lowestoft · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

What is Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School have?

Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 173 pupils on roll.

What age range does Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School cover?

Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?

Blundeston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Church Road, Blundeston, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 5AX.