Sudbury Primary School

About Sudbury Primary School

Sudbury Primary School’s headline metrics sit noticeably below the local authority average for primary schools in Derbyshire. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined is 40%, compared with a Derbyshire average of 59%. That 19-point gap places the school in the bottom half of primary schools nationally and in the bottom 25% of its own local authority. The school’s ranking score of 40 out of 100 puts it 215th out of 353 primaries in Derbyshire, and in the bottom 50% tier nationally. While the school is small — just 44 pupils against a capacity of 70 — the data suggests that academic outcomes are an area of real challenge, particularly when set against the strong performance of top peers in the same authority, such as Wessington Primary and Redhill Primary, which both score a perfect 100.

Looking at the KS2 results in more detail, the picture is mixed across individual subjects. In reading, 60% of pupils reached the expected standard, with an average score of 104, and 30% achieved the higher standard. In writing, 70% met the expected level, but only 10% reached the higher standard. Maths saw 60% at expected and 20% at the higher level, with an average score of 102. The combined expected figure of 40% is the key headline, and it reflects the fact that a significant minority of pupils are not meeting the benchmark across all three subjects. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 rated it Requires Improvement across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2011, and the inspection report will likely be a useful read for parents wanting to understand the specific areas being addressed.

On the practical side, Sudbury Primary offers a range of facilities including a forest school, sensory room, ICT suite, library and chapel, plus sports such as cricket, swimming, tennis and netball. Clubs include chess, drama and gardening. The school has a nursery provision and caters for children from age three. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 10 applications for just 2 places, with 2 first-preference offers made. That’s a ratio of 5 applicants per place, so competition is real despite the school’s academic challenges. This is a small, rural primary that may suit families who value its facilities and SEND provision, but parents should weigh the Ofsted rating and below-average outcomes carefully against their child’s needs.

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