Sidegate Primary School

Sidegate Primary School continues to demonstrate strong performance as a good school. Pupils exhibit enthusiasm in their learning and benefit from a rich array of extracurricular activities, which contribute to their personal development. The school is recognized for its supportive environment where staff are dedicated to the well-being of both students and each other. Parents express high satisfaction with the school's offerings and the supportive atmosphere fostered by the teachers. There is a notable emphasis on pupils' safety, and effective measures have been put in place to address any concerns promptly. Despite the overall positive standing, there are areas identified for improvement, especially regarding the curriculum implementation and the consistent assessment of pupil progress in reading. Some pupils, particularly those who fell behind due to the pandemic, require more targeted support to catch up. The school leadership is aware of these challenges and is actively working towards refining the curriculum to ensure that all pupils have a clear understanding of what they need to learn and remember over time.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a supportive and positive learning environment.
• High expectations lead to good achievements across most curriculum subjects.
• Strong emphasis on extracurricular activities enhancing personal development.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• A strong culture of safeguarding and pupil safety.
• Well-established routines contribute to pupils' safety and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects need clearer curriculum plans for what pupils should learn and remember.
• A few pupils require additional support in reading but are not identified promptly.

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 Sidegate Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Sidegate Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 3 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 Sidegate Primary School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 11.7% of pupils at Sidegate Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 30 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 2024–25 Sidegate Primary School received £6,799 and spent £7,230 for each of its 652 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £777,000 (£1,192 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of The Active Learning Trust Limited, income was £8,366 and spending £8,624 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Sidegate Primary School is part of The Active Learning Trust Limited, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• Hillside Primary School Ipswich
• Chantry Academy Ipswich
• Gusford Community Primary School Ipswich
• Reydon Primary School Southwold
• The Albert Pye Community Primary School Beccles
• Ravensmere Infant School Beccles
• Loddon Junior School Norwich
• Loddon Infant and Nursery School Norwich
• Grove Primary School Lowestoft
• Pakefield Primary School Lowestoft

What is Sidegate Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sidegate Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Sidegate Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sidegate Primary School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Sidegate Primary School have?

Sidegate Primary School has 649 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sidegate Primary School cover?

Sidegate Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sidegate Primary School?

Sidegate Primary School is at Sidegate Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 4JD.