Wells Hall Primary School

Wells Hall Primary School demonstrates a strong performance overall with a committed leadership team and an engaging curriculum that positively impacts pupil learning and wellbeing. The school has established a strong culture of safeguarding and has made significant strides in improving attendance and behaviour through its proactive approach. While most pupils, including disadvantaged students, achieve well, there is ongoing work to enhance reading outcomes, and some teaching practices require refinement to ensure all pupils receive the appropriate level of challenge.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in national assessments across core subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils typically achieve above their national counterparts.
• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Leaders maintain high standards and strong ambition for school improvement.
• The curriculum is well-structured and ambitious across different subjects.
• Teachers are supported by comprehensive training to deliver the curriculum effectively.
• Pupil wellbeing is prioritized with a strong pastoral team.

Areas for Improvement

• The Year 1 phonics screening check results are not yet where leaders want them to be.
• Some missed opportunities to further challenge pupils in lessons.
• In the early years, interactions to deepen vocabulary and communication skills could be improved.

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 Wells Hall Primary School attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.6% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Wells Hall 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 Wells Hall Primary School had 24.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 25.3% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Wells Hall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 4 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 Wells Hall Primary School received £6,260 and spent £6,153 for each of its 475 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £145,000 (£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

Wells Hall Primary School is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Thomas Gainsborough School Sudbury
• Woodhall Primary School Sudbury
• Glemsford Primary Academy Sudbury
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Coupals Primary Academy Haverhill
• Churchill Special Free School Haverhill
• Steeple Bumpstead Primary School Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill

What is Wells Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Wells Hall Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Wells Hall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wells Hall Primary School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Wells Hall Primary School have?

Wells Hall Primary School has 494 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wells Hall Primary School cover?

Wells Hall Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Wells Hall Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Wells Hall Primary School?

Wells Hall Primary School is at Wells Hall Road, Great Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 0NH.