Bungay Primary School

Bungay Primary School is a happy, friendly and inclusive school where pupils feel safe and are proud of their community. Safeguarding standards are met, personal development and wellbeing are clear strengths, behaviour is calm and orderly, and pupils are respectful and supportive of one another. Attendance is improving, although it remains above national averages. The curriculum is broad, cohesive and typically well taught, with well-sequenced early years provision and effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme, adapted mathematics and targeted support, and there are positive signs that pupils' knowledge and progress are improving. The school is part of the Asset Multi Academy Trust and has recently opened a SEN unit for pupils with speech, language and communication needs. The main concern is achievement: over time, pupils' attainment and progress in national curriculum tests have been inconsistent and below national outcomes, and disadvantaged pupils face particularly large gaps, especially in mathematics. Some variation remains in how consistently the curriculum is implemented, and misconceptions are not always picked up quickly enough. Leaders have appropriate plans and the right priorities to address these issues.

Strengths

• Safeguarding is met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a clear priority, with strong pastoral support and trusting relationships.
• Pupils are respectful, courteous and tolerant, and behave well in a calm, orderly school.
• Pupils feel safe and happy, and bullying is extremely rare.
• The personal development programme is ambitious and integrated across subjects, including RSE, online safety and healthy relationships.
• Pupils take on responsibilities and have influential pupil voice, including community projects and a national award for school dinners.
• Attendance is improving through close monitoring, family support and home visits.
• The curriculum is broad, cohesive and carefully sequenced, with opportunities to revisit prior learning.
• Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme and adapted mathematics to address gaps, with effective targeted support.
• Staff know pupils well and adapt teaching so pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils can progress alongside peers.
• Early years provision is nurturing, with confident children, good oracy support and consistent phonics teaching.
• Inclusion systems identify needs clearly, and the new SEN unit is developing well with high expectations.
• Leaders know the school, support staff well and work with the trust and governors to improve provision.
• Pupils benefit from visits, community experts and wider opportunities that raise aspirations.
• There are positive signs that attainment and progress are improving in English and mathematics.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' attainment and progress in national curriculum tests have been inconsistent and below national outcomes over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance remains well below national comparisons, particularly in mathematics and the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.
• Curriculum implementation varies between subjects, limiting the depth of knowledge pupils build in some areas.
• Teachers do not always identify and address pupils' misconceptions quickly enough, so some pupils repeat errors.
• Overall and persistent absence remain above national averages, although leaders are reducing them.
• Leaders need to ensure the curriculum is implemented consistently well so pupils build secure knowledge across all subjects.

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 Bungay Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.2% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Bungay 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 Bungay Primary School had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.1% 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, 16.9% of pupils at Bungay Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 12 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 Bungay Primary School received £6,923 and spent £6,580 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £74,000 (£367 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Asset Education, income was £7,219 and spending £6,496 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 Bungay · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Bungay Primary School is part of Asset Education, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Ilketshall St Lawrence School Beccles
• Edgar Sewter Community Primary School Halesworth
• Holton St Peter Community Primary School Halesworth
• Wenhaston Primary School Halesworth
• Hollesley Primary School Woodbridge
• Waldringfield Primary School Woodbridge
• Castle Hill Infant School Ipswich
• Castle Hill Junior School Ipswich
• The Beeches Community Primary School Ipswich
• Ringshall School Stowmarket

What is Bungay Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bungay Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Bungay Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bungay Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Bungay Primary School have?

Bungay Primary School has 237 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bungay Primary School cover?

Bungay Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 36% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Bungay Primary School?

Bungay Primary School is at Wingfield Street, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1HA.