Thurston Church of England Primary Academy

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy is a friendly, inclusive school that was judged good across all key areas at this graded inspection: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it took place while the school is experiencing a rapidly expanding pupil roll. The school is part of The Thedwastre Education Trust, and inspectors found that governors and the trust are aware of the challenges ahead and are putting structures in place to support ongoing improvement. Pupils typically behave well, work hard and understand the school’s ‘Thurston Way’ expectations. Reading is central to the curriculum, pupils enjoy sharing stories, and those who struggle get effective help to catch up. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and learn alongside their peers, including in smaller nurture groups where needed. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, and a more consistent approach to writing is raising expectations and improving the quality of pupils’ work. Personal development is strong, with British values, kindness and pupil leadership roles embedded in school life. The main areas for improvement are in a few subjects where recent curriculum changes are still embedding. Occasionally, tasks are not demanding enough for pupils who could achieve more, and gaps in learning are not closed quickly enough because assessment information is not used consistently. A small number of pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, are persistently absent, which means they fall further behind and miss opportunities. Overall, the school is performing well, with clear and focused next steps around curriculum consistency and attendance.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy learning in a friendly and inclusive school environment.
• Pupils typically behave well, work hard and understand the ‘Thurston Way’ expectations.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious and is implemented successfully despite a rapidly expanding pupil roll.
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with effective support for pupils who struggle to read.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and learn successfully alongside their peers, including in nurture groups.
• Early years children follow adult guidance enthusiastically and play cooperatively together.
• A more consistent approach to writing, including spelling and grammar, is raising expectations and improving pupils’ work.
• Personal development is strong, with British values, kindness and pupil leadership roles embedded in school life.
• Governors and the trust provide effective support, including training and attention to staff workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, recent curriculum changes are still embedding and there is a mismatch between intended learning and the activities pupils complete.
• Some pupils who could achieve more are not given sufficiently demanding tasks.
• Gaps in learning are not always closed quickly enough.
• Teachers’ checks on learning are not consistently used to match activities to pupils’ needs.
• A few pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, are persistently absent and fall behind with their learning.

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 Thurston Church of England Primary Academy attended 94.4% 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, 2.7% of pupils at Thurston 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 Thurston Church of England Primary Academy had 21.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 18.9% of pupils at Thurston Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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.

In 2024–25 Thurston Church of England Primary Academy received £5,778 and spent £5,965 for each of its 336 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £126,000 (-£376 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Tilian Partnership, income was £6,916 and spending £6,928 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.

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All schools in Bury St. Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy is part of The Tilian Partnership, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Ixworth Church of England Primary School Bury St. Edmunds
• Rougham Church of England Primary School Bury St. Edmunds
• Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Crawford's Church of England Primary School Stowmarket
• Bardwell Church of England Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Old Newton Church of England Primary School Stowmarket
• Gislingham Church of England Primary School Eye
• Palgrave Church of England Primary School Nr Diss
• Kersey Church of England Primary School Ipswich

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Thurston Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

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

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2024.

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

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy has 349 pupils on roll.

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

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thurston Church of England Primary Academy?

Thurston Church of England Primary Academy is at Pond Field Road, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 3FT.