Glemsford Primary Academy

Glemsford Primary Academy continues to perform well as a good school, providing a supportive and enjoyable learning environment for its pupils. The school boasts excellent behaviour among its students, who express confidence and respect towards staff and peers. The curriculum is well-structured, enabling pupils, including those with special educational needs, to achieve strong outcomes. However, there are concerns regarding the engagement of parents and the effectiveness of the school's safeguarding governance.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit excellent behaviour and respect towards adults and peers.
• The curriculum is well-planned and effectively supports cross-subject links.
• Pupils feel safe and confident in expressing their concerns.
• Strong emphasis on reading and vocabulary development from early years.
• Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs.

Areas for Improvement

• Governors do not effectively check safeguarding practices.
• Insufficient engagement with stakeholders leading to low parental recommendations.

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 Glemsford Primary Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.3% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Glemsford 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 Glemsford Primary Academy had 19.8 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, 7.4% of pupils at Glemsford Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Glemsford Primary Academy received £6,771 and spent £6,796 for each of its 226 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £69,000 (£305 per pupil).

Across all 39 schools of Unity Schools Partnership, income was £8,494 and spending £8,500 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 Sudbury · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Glemsford Primary Academy is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Woodhall Primary School Sudbury
• Wells Hall Primary School Sudbury
• Thomas Gainsborough School Sudbury
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Coupals Primary Academy Haverhill
• Churchill Special Free School Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill
• Place Farm Primary Academy Haverhill

What is Glemsford Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Glemsford Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.

When was Glemsford Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Glemsford Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2023.

How many pupils does Glemsford Primary Academy have?

Glemsford Primary Academy has 243 pupils on roll.

What age range does Glemsford Primary Academy cover?

Glemsford Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Glemsford Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Glemsford Primary Academy?

Glemsford Primary Academy is at Lion Road, Glemsford, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 7RF.