Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy

Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy is performing well overall, achieving a Good rating in key areas including the quality of education and leadership. The school has established a positive environment where pupils feel happy and safe, supported by effective leadership that has driven significant improvements since its opening in January 2017. Notably, the personal development of pupils is rated as Outstanding, demonstrating their understanding of British values and commitment to caring for each other. Parents express high satisfaction with the school's progress and their involvement in their children’s learning.

Strengths

• Leaders have high expectations for pupil learning and achievement.
• Pupils enjoy a calm learning environment and have positive relationships with adults.
• The personal development of pupils is rated as Outstanding.
• The curriculum is well thought through in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Pupils have a strong enthusiasm for reading with extensive resources.
• Effective support is provided for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum development is less effective in some subjects, such as art and modern foreign languages.
• Subject leaders are new and require further training and guidance.

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 Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.9% 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 Houldsworth Valley 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 Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% 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, 14.2% of pupils at Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 16 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 Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy received £7,747 and spent £7,404 for each of its 336 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £102,000 (£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 Newmarket · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

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

• Newmarket Academy Newmarket
• Ditton Lodge Primary School Newmarket
• Laureate Community Academy Newmarket
• West Row Academy Bury St. Edmunds
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill
• Castle Manor Academy Haverhill
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Burton End Primary Academy Haverhill

What is Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy have?

Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy has 332 pupils on roll.

What age range does Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy cover?

Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy?

Houldsworth Valley Primary Academy is at Rowley Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0PU.