Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School is performing well overall, with a rating of good in all key areas of education, behaviour, and leadership. Pupils are engaged and happy, fostering a positive atmosphere with a clear emphasis on high expectations for their learning and personal growth. The school provides a broad curriculum that encourages a love of reading and extracurricular involvement, helping children to develop their talents and leadership skills. This is the school's first inspection, having previously never been assessed under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel happy and safe.
• A broad and ambitious curriculum is in place to engage pupils.
• Staff are experts in teaching phonics, helping young readers develop strong skills.
• Pupils with special educational needs receive effective support.
• Leaders prioritize staff well-being and maintain manageable workloads.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' written work in foundation subjects lacks the same high standards as in English.

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 Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.9% 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, 1.2% of pupils at Great Whelnetham Church of England 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 Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.3% 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, 31.1% of pupils at Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School received £7,436 and spent £7,784 for each of its 85 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £18,000 (£206 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of All Saints Schools Trust, income was £7,585 and spending £7,909 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.

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All schools in Bury St. Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School is part of All Saints Schools Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:

• Hardwick Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Cockfield Church of England Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Ickworth Park Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Sexton's Manor Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Honington Church of England Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Wortham Primary School Diss
• Thorndon Church of England Primary School Eye
• Occold Primary School Eye
• St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School, Eye Eye
• Charsfield Church of England Primary School Woodbridge

What is Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School have?

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School has 74 pupils on roll.

What age range does Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School cover?

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School?

Great Whelnetham Church of England Primary School is at Stanningfield Road, Great Whelnetham, Bury St. Edmunds, IP30 0UA.