Steeple Bumpstead Primary School

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School has been assessed as 'Good' in overall effectiveness, with notable strengths in behaviour and attitudes, which are rated as 'Outstanding'. The school fosters a positive learning environment where pupils exhibit kindness and respect, leading to strong relationships and effective learning. The school's curriculum is ambitious and accommodates all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), ensuring they learn well and develop a love for reading. While the school has several strengths, including effective leadership and management along with good personal development for pupils, there are areas for improvement in curriculum implementation. Some subjects still require further development and refinement to ensure consistent quality across the board. Given that this is the school's first inspection since becoming operational, the context of its ongoing development and response to the pandemic is significant in understanding its current performance.

Strengths

• Positive and respectful interactions among pupils.
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes from students.
• Strong reading curriculum that ensures fluency and enjoyment.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Well-structured early years provision.
• Established and motivating learning culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Uneven curriculum development across different subjects.
• Need for further refinement of new curriculum plans.

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 Steeple Bumpstead Primary School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.7% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Steeple Bumpstead 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 Steeple Bumpstead Primary School had 24.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.5% 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, 13.8% of pupils at Steeple Bumpstead Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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 Steeple Bumpstead Primary School received £5,963 and spent £6,790 for each of its 184 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £56,000 (£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 Haverhill · Essex local authority: places and applications

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

• Clements Primary Academy Haverhill
• Churchill Special Free School Haverhill
• Coupals Primary Academy Haverhill
• Place Farm Primary Academy Haverhill
• Burton End Primary Academy Haverhill
• Westfield Primary Academy Haverhill
• Castle Manor Academy Haverhill
• Samuel Ward Academy Haverhill
• Kedington Primary Academy Haverhill
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket

What is Steeple Bumpstead Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Steeple Bumpstead Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Steeple Bumpstead Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Steeple Bumpstead Primary School have?

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School has 189 pupils on roll.

What age range does Steeple Bumpstead Primary School cover?

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Steeple Bumpstead Primary School?

Steeple Bumpstead Primary School is at Bower Hall Drive, Steeple Bumpstead, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 7ED.