Southwold Primary School

About Southwold Primary School

Southwold Primary School’s headline KS2 results sit below the Suffolk local authority average, with 50% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 58%. That places the school in the bottom half of primary schools in East Suffolk, ranked 52nd out of 72. The maths average score of 99 is also a touch below the national benchmark of 100, though reading fares slightly better with an average score of 103. At the higher end, 25% of pupils achieved a higher standard in reading, but no pupils reached that level in writing or in the combined measure. These figures reflect a school working with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils — 51% are eligible for free school meals — which is a significant contextual factor when interpreting the outcomes.

The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024 was a graded inspection that saw it jump from a Requires Improvement rating in 2022 to Good across all five graded areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The previous inspection had rated quality of education and early years provision as Requires Improvement, so the improvement is clear. Parent View responses from 18 families between September 2024 and September 2025 are overwhelmingly positive: 89% would recommend the school, and 89% strongly agreed that their child does well there. However, 22% of parents disagreed that bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively, though 44% said the question was not applicable to them.

Southwold is a small village primary with 74 pupils against a capacity of 105, and it offers a nursery provision for children from age three. The school was oversubscribed for Reception places in 2025/26, with nine applications for five places and all five first-preference applicants receiving offers. Facilities include a forest school, library, art studios, music rooms, and a chapel, plus sports such as rounders, cross country, and cricket. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that has turned around its Ofsted rating and is well-regarded by its parent community, but families should weigh the below-average KS2 results against the high level of disadvantage and the small cohort size when making their decision.

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