Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy

About Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy

Kessingland Church of England Primary Academy has been rated Good across all areas in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating. The school’s strongest academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, where 67% of pupils met the benchmark in the 2023/24 results. That figure sits nine percentage points above the Suffolk local authority average of 58%, placing the school 20th out of 72 primary schools in East Suffolk and in the top 50% nationally. Digging into the individual subjects, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, 74% in writing and 70% in maths. Higher-standard attainment is more modest: 22% hit the higher bar in reading, 19% in maths and 15% in writing, with just 4% achieving the higher combined measure. The average scaled scores of 105 in reading and 104 in maths are solid, though the school does not publish progress scores, so it is hard to say how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

Ofsted’s February 2025 ungraded inspection confirmed that standards are being maintained, with Good ratings for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Parent feedback from the 2024/25 survey period is broadly positive: 78% of the 18 respondents would recommend the school, and 84% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy there. However, there are some notable splits. On behaviour, 33% strongly agreed that pupils are well-behaved, but 22% disagreed and 6% strongly disagreed. Similarly, 17% disagreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 17% disagreed that their child does well at school. The SEND question received no responses at all, which may reflect a small sample size rather than a lack of provision — the school lists support for seven categories including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health.

The school has a Church of England character and a nursery for three-year-olds, but no sixth form. It is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 25 applications for 22 places and 21 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a library, ICT suite, sports hall, forest school, art studios, sensory room and chapel. Clubs range from choir and drama to coding, chess and gardening, while sports provision covers football, cricket, swimming and athletics. With 45.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals — well above the national average — the school serves a relatively disadvantaged community. It is not the highest-performing primary in the area; the nearest Outstanding-rated school is Carlton Colville Primary, 3.1 km away. Kessingland is a good fit for families who want a solid, improving local school with strong early years provision and a clear Christian foundation, but who are comfortable with a mixed picture in parent satisfaction and modest higher-attainment rates.

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