Southwold Primary School

Southwold Primary School is a small academy sponsor-led primary in the Consortium Trust, with a headteacher appointed in September 2023 who also works across two other trust schools. Inspectors found the school performing well across all key areas, with effective safeguarding and secure trust oversight of its improvement journey. Pupils enjoy learning, behave well, feel safe and benefit from a broad curriculum enriched by fieldwork, sustainability projects, arts festivals, clubs and leadership roles. The school has high expectations, including for pupils with SEND, and has made significant improvements to early reading; children in early years develop good reading habits and language skills. The curriculum is ambitious and generally well designed for mixed-age classes, and pupils who attend throughout their primary education achieve well. Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported effectively, and personal development is promoted strongly, including pupils’ understanding of Modern Britain and democracy. Staff feel well supported, and leaders are considerate of workload and wellbeing. There are two main areas for improvement. In more recently implemented curriculum areas, especially mathematics, pupils do not consistently get enough opportunity to practise reasoning and problem-solving, so they do not always use what they know in more complex work. In writing, pupils’ content is good, but they do not routinely take care with punctuation and grammar across the curriculum, which limits the quality of their written communication. Leaders are aware of both issues and are continuing to prioritise them.

Strengths

• Pupils are eager to learn and enjoy lessons that bring learning to life
• Pupils behave well, feel safe and have respectful, trusting relationships
• The curriculum is ambitious and enriched with fieldwork, projects, festivals and clubs
• Early reading has improved significantly and is a clear priority
• Children in early years develop good reading habits and strong language and communication skills
• Pupils with SEND are identified accurately and supported to access the same ambitious curriculum
• Pupils achieve as well as their peers, including those with SEND
• Personal development is promoted effectively, including diversity and understanding of Modern Britain
• Pupils can take on leadership roles and contribute to the wider community
• Staff enjoy working at the school and leaders are considerate of workload and wellbeing
• Trust oversight is secure, with a balanced approach of support and challenge

Areas for Improvement

• In more recently implemented curriculum areas, especially mathematics, pupils do not consistently develop reasoning and problem-solving skills well enough
• Pupils do not routinely take care with punctuation and grammar in writing across the curriculum
• Teachers need continued training and regular opportunities to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning in newer curriculum areas

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 Southwold Primary School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 30.2% 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, 4.1% of pupils at Southwold 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 Southwold Primary School had 11.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.4% 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, 10.0% of pupils at Southwold Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Southwold Primary School received £9,740 and spent £9,582 for each of its 62 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £29,000 (-£474 per pupil).

Across all 14 schools of Consortium Trust, income was £14,612 and spending £14,475 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 East Suffolk · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Southwold Primary School is part of Consortium Trust, which runs 14 schools. The nearest others:

• Middleton Community Primary School Saxmundham
• Yoxford & Peasenhall Primary Academy Saxmundham
• Barnby and North Cove Community Primary School Beccles
• Warren School Lowestoft
• Glebeland Community Primary School Beccles
• Mendham Primary School Harleston
• Reedham Primary School Norwich
• Rendlesham Primary School Woodbridge
• St Edmund's Primary School Eye
• Helmingham Primary School and Nursery Stowmarket

What is Southwold Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southwold Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Southwold Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Southwold Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Southwold Primary School have?

Southwold Primary School has 60 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southwold Primary School cover?

Southwold Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 43% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Southwold Primary School?

Southwold Primary School is at Cumberland Road, Southwold, Suffolk, IP18 6JP.