Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy is performing well overall, achieving a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas. Pupils enjoy their time at school, participating actively in learning and feeling safe and supported by attentive staff. The leadership has established high expectations and successfully improved academic standards, resulting in pupils achieving well. The school environment is calm and purposeful, with strong support for individual pupil needs, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. This inspection marks a significant improvement from the previous rating of 'Requires Improvement'.

Strengths

• Strong sense of teamwork among staff and leaders.
• High-quality education with significant improvements in pupil achievement.
• Well-ordered and well-delivered curriculum that enhances learning retention.
• Effective early years provision supporting children's transition to Year 1.
• Excellent reading support and well-resourced library promoting a love for reading.
• Focus on personal development through activities like residential trips and community help.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the application of the phonics program among some teachers.
• Lack of coherence in the sequencing of learning in a small number of subjects.
• Attendance issues for a small group of pupils remain a concern.

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 Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.0% 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 Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy 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 Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.1% 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, 22.2% of pupils at Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.6% 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 2024–25 Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy received £7,593 and spent £7,462 for each of its 202 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £44,000 (£218 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, income was £11,069 and spending £10,622 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 Lowestoft · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy is part of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Hopton Church of England Primary Academy Great Yarmouth
• Gillingham St Michael's Church of England Primary Academy Beccles
• Moorlands CofE Primary Academy Great Yarmouth
• Peterhouse CofE Primary Academy Great Yarmouth
• Ditchingham Church of England Primary Academy Bungay
• Earsham Church of England Primary Academy Nr Bungay
• The Open Academy Norwich
• St Peter's CofE Primary Academy, Easton Norwich
• Hockering Church of England Primary Academy Dereham
• Great Witchingham Church of England Primary Academy Norwich

What is Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy have?

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy has 198 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy cover?

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy?

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy is at Field Lane, Kessingland, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 7QA.