Glade Academy

Glade Academy is a warm, inclusive and well-led primary school where pupils feel valued and safe. It is part of the Eastern Multi Academy Trust and serves a community with above-average deprivation; it has 164 pupils on roll and above-average proportions of pupils with SEND and EHC plans. Inspectors found particularly strong practice in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Pupils are welcomed warmly, behave well, benefit from a well-considered early years curriculum and inclusive support, and take part in a bespoke wellbeing programme with strong community links. Safeguarding standards are met, and staff feel well supported by leaders and the trust. Curriculum and teaching are secure: the curriculum is ambitious and matched to pupils' needs, phonics has improved, and pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, generally make effective progress from their starting points. Pupils produce high-quality work and are well prepared for the next stage. However, achievement is not yet as strong overall. End-of-key-stage-2 national tests and assessments do not yet reflect the quality of pupils' work, and combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes have been below national averages. Leaders should continue to focus on improving outcomes, including making sure effective progress is secured for every disadvantaged pupil.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming start to the school day that sets a positive tone
• Close attendance monitoring and collaborative work with families to improve attendance
• High expectations and a positive culture of pupil behaviour
• Older pupils act as role models and support younger pupils at breaktimes and lunchtimes
• Well-considered early years curriculum that prepares children for the next stage
• Redeveloped phonics curriculum that has improved children's confidence and outcomes
• Caring and inclusive culture supported by detailed knowledge of pupils
• Effective use of pupil passports, individual support plans and regular review meetings
• Strong use of pupil premium funding and targeted support for disadvantaged pupils
• Effective leadership and governance with close trust oversight and professional challenge
• Robust staff development programme and strong support for staff
• Bespoke personal development and wellbeing programme shaped with pupils
• Strong community links, pupil leadership opportunities and a range of clubs
• Ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum matched to pupils' needs
• Secure subject knowledge and effective assessment used to plan next steps
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils make effective progress from their starting points
• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• End-of-key-stage-2 national test and assessment outcomes do not yet reflect the quality of pupils' work
• Combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes are below the national average over the latest three years
• Reading and mathematics outcomes at the expected standard are below national averages
• Effective progress is not yet secured for every disadvantaged pupil
• The disadvantage gap remains in reading and combined reading, writing and mathematics

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 Glade Academy attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.6% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Glade 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 Glade Academy had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 21.7% of pupils at Glade Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.1% 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 Glade Academy received £7,862 and spent £7,482 for each of its 189 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £44,000 (-£231 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Eastern Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,459 and spending £7,372 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 West Suffolk · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Glade Academy is part of Eastern Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Norwich Road Academy Thetford
• Admirals Academy Thetford
• Raleigh Infant Academy Thetford
• Southery Academy Downham Market
• Nelson Academy Downham Market
• Upwell Academy Wisbech
• Emneth Academy Wisbech
• Parkway Academy King'S Lynn
• King's Lynn Academy King'S Lynn
• Eastgate Academy King'S Lynn

What is Glade Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Glade Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Glade Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Glade Academy was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Glade Academy have?

Glade Academy has 180 pupils on roll.

What age range does Glade Academy cover?

Glade Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Glade Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Glade Academy?

Glade Academy is at Knappers Way, Brandon, Suffolk, IP27 0DA.