Old Newton Church of England Primary School

Old Newton Church of England Primary School is a small, warm and welcoming school where pupils, parents, carers and staff feel proud to be part of the school community. Inspectors found high expectations, good behaviour, strong attendance and effective safeguarding. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported well, and reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with highly effective phonics teaching and a well-considered reading programme. Children in Reception get off to a good start and are well prepared for Year 1. Pupils also benefit from a well-considered personal development programme and take pride in roles and responsibilities. The school is part of the Tilian Partnership, and trust and school leaders work together effectively. Governors know the school well and hold leaders to account, while staff value the support they receive and leaders’ consideration of workload and well-being. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first graded inspection under section 5; it had previously been inspected under section 8 in 2019. All key judgements were good. The main area for improvement is that some lessons are not adapted well enough to ensure all pupils explore more complex knowledge and deepen their learning. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. The school should ensure all teachers have sufficient expertise to assess and adjust lessons so they are well matched to the needs of all learners.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming and respectful school community with a clear ‘inspire, nurture and flourish’ ethos
• Pupils feel safe and well cared for, and they enjoy coming to school
• Staff have high expectations and pupils behave well
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and receive effective support
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with systematic phonics and strong support for pupils who need extra help
• Children in Reception get off to a good start and are well prepared for Year 1
• Attendance is high and pupils value their learning
• Personal development is well considered, helping pupils develop moral responsibility and social awareness
• Trust and governors work effectively with the school to raise standards and hold leaders to account
• Staff value the support they receive, and leaders are considerate of workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Some lessons are not adapted well enough to ensure all pupils explore more complex knowledge and deepen their learning
• Some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could because teaching does not always deepen understanding
• The school should ensure all teachers have sufficient expertise to assess and adjust lessons to match the needs of all learners

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 Old Newton Church of England Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.5% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Old Newton Church of England 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 Old Newton Church of England Primary School had 12.4 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, 18.6% of pupils at Old Newton Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Old Newton Church of England Primary School received £7,665 and spent £8,789 for each of its 70 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £208,000 (£2,976 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Old Newton Church of England Primary School is part of The Tilian Partnership, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Old Newton Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Old Newton Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Old Newton Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Old Newton Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Old Newton Church of England Primary School have?

Old Newton Church of England Primary School has 70 pupils on roll.

What age range does Old Newton Church of England Primary School cover?

Old Newton Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Old Newton Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Old Newton Church of England Primary School?

Old Newton Church of England Primary School is at School Road, Old Newton, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 4PJ.