Woolpit Primary Academy

About Woolpit Primary Academy

Woolpit Primary Academy’s headline metrics sit noticeably below the Suffolk local authority average for primary schools, which stands at 58% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 academic year, just 33% of Woolpit’s Year 6 pupils achieved that combined benchmark, placing the school 199th out of 253 primaries in the county. That gap of 25 percentage points is significant and positions Woolpit firmly in the bottom half of Suffolk schools, with a national percentile ranking of 95 — meaning only 5% of schools nationally scored lower on this measure. The school’s ranking within Mid Suffolk is 36th out of 39 primaries, which underscores the challenge. However, the picture isn’t uniformly low: 52% of pupils met the expected standard in reading individually, and the average reading score of 101 is close to the national average of 100, suggesting reading is a relative strength compared with maths and writing.

Digging deeper into the KS2 results, maths is the weakest area: only 37% of pupils reached the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 98, and just 7% achieved the higher standard. Writing fared slightly better, with 48% at the expected level but no pupils reaching the higher standard. Reading again stands out, with 22% hitting the higher standard — a bright spot. The school’s Ofsted inspection in July 2022 rated overall effectiveness as Good, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018. Leadership and management were judged Outstanding, and behaviour, personal development, early years provision and quality of education all received Good grades. This suggests that while academic outcomes are currently low, the school’s leadership is seen as strong and capable of driving improvement. The 36% of pupils eligible for free school meals is well above the national average, which may partly explain the attainment gap.

Woolpit Primary Academy is a small school with 114 pupils against a capacity of 210, so there is room for growth. It was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 51 applications for 24 places and 23 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 2.13 applicants per place. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, a sensory room, a library and a chapel, plus clubs such as art, gardening, choir, chess and coding. The school supports a wide range of SEND needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families who value strong leadership, a supportive environment for SEND, and a school actively working to raise attainment from a low baseline, Woolpit could be a good fit — especially for those whose children need extra support rather than a high-pressure academic setting.

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