The Pines Primary School

The Pines Primary School has shown a strong overall performance in its first inspection, achieving a 'Good' rating across all domains. Pupils are eager and engaged learners who feel safe and valued in their environment, marked by positive relationships with staff and peers. The school promotes the importance of respect and tolerance through various initiatives, contributing to a supportive atmosphere where bullying is not tolerated. Parents express high satisfaction with the school, highlighting its positive impact on their children.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and feel safe at school.
• Leaders have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum that supports knowledge building.
• Strong subject knowledge among most teachers enhances student understanding.
• Pupils with SEND achieve well due to quickly identified needs and appropriate support.
• A consistent approach to teaching phonics is implemented from early years.
• The school has strong safeguarding practices ensuring student safety.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers lack secure subject knowledge in specific curriculum areas.
• Limited range of clubs and activities does not fully promote personal development.

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 The Pines Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.7% 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, 0.4% of pupils at The Pines 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 The Pines Primary School had 24.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.4% 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, 24.2% of pupils at The Pines Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 The Pines Primary School received £6,342 and spent £7,331 for each of its 234 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £44,000 (£190 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of Anglian Learning, income was £7,678 and spending £7,759 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 Bury St. Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

The Pines Primary School is part of Anglian Learning, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Kennett Primary School Newmarket
• Soham Village College Ely
• The Weatheralls Primary School Soham
• The Shade Primary School Ely
• Howard Community Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Bottisham Community Primary School Cambridge
• Bottisham Village College Cambridge
• Meadow Primary School Cambridge
• Fen Ditton Primary School Cambridge
• Marleigh Primary Academy Cambridge

What is The Pines Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Pines Primary School is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was The Pines Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Pines Primary School was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does The Pines Primary School have?

The Pines Primary School has 240 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Pines Primary School cover?

The Pines Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Pines Primary School?

The Pines Primary School is at Manor Wood, Red Lodge, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8WL.