Forest Academy

About Forest Academy

Forest Academy sits in the middle of the pack when it comes to primary schools in Suffolk, and its headline Key Stage 2 results tell a fairly mixed story. The school’s proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined is 54%, which is four percentage points below the local authority average of 58%. That places it 142nd out of 253 primary schools in Suffolk, and 31st out of 44 in West Suffolk specifically — firmly in the bottom half of its immediate area. On the plus side, the school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 it received 52 applications for 33 places, with 31 of those coming as first preferences, suggesting it remains a popular choice among local families despite results that don’t quite match the LA norm.

Digging into the detail of the 2023/24 SATs, the picture is uneven across subjects. Reading and writing are relative strengths: 68% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in writing, while 19% achieved a higher score in reading and 7% in writing. Maths is weaker, with 59% at the expected level and 25% at the higher threshold. The average scaled scores for both reading and maths sit at 103, exactly in line with the national baseline. Only 3% of pupils hit the higher standard across all three subjects. Ofsted visited in November 2021 and awarded a Good rating across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — a clear improvement from the Requires Improvement it received in 2017. The school has held its Good rating across both its recent inspections.

Forest Academy is a three-to-11 mixed state primary with a nursery on site, catering for 412 pupils out of a capacity of 420. It has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at 24.5%, and its SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Facilities include a gymnasium, library, ICT suite, forest school area, playing fields, sensory room and even a chapel. Sports on offer range from football and cricket to swimming and netball, while clubs include drama, coding and eco club. For families who value a school that has improved its Ofsted rating, offers strong early years provision, and provides a wide range of support for additional needs, Forest Academy is a solid, if not standout, local option.

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