St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich

Ipswich · IP4 2BT

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 413 pupils, 21.1% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14.3% on SEN support Behaviour Typical record Staff 12.4% turnover Financials £6,276 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

FOI Transparency How openly this school shares data

Cooperative 70 /100

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St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich

General Information

Address: Bolton Lane, Ipswich, IP4 2BT – View on map
Phone: 01473251613
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Revd Jo Gunn
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 32 families put it first for 34 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

413 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 87
% eligible for free school meals: 21.1%
Pupil mix: 8 in 10 (more mixed than the Ipswich average)
English as an additional language: 41% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 12.4% a year (Ipswich 14.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 0% moved to another school, 100% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Supply and cover teaching

Classes taught mainly by supply or cover staff for half a term or more: 0 (a full term or more: 0)
Teaching posts vacant or only temporarily filled during the year: 0
Days of supply or agency teacher cover: 28
Data year: 2025/26 (from the school, under Freedom of Information)

Government figures only count teachers on contracts of 28 days or more, so a class covered by a run of supply teachers doesn't show up in them – which is why we ask schools directly.

Behaviour

Typical record 2025/26

About this Behaviour status

Based on real data requested under Freedom of Information, compared against other schools of the same type that have also responded - not a judgement on any single figure alone.

Reading the numbers: higher figures below often mean a school records thoroughly and takes concerns seriously, rather than more incidents happening. A school reporting unusually low figures sometimes has a reporting gap rather than a problem-free intake. If a figure stands out, it's worth asking the school how it records.

Data year: 2025/26
Bullying incidents: 32
Physical aggression / violence incidents: 8
Child protection referrals: 32
Safeguarding concerns: 215
Racist incidents: 23
Suspensions (fixed-term exclusions): 1
Permanent exclusions: 0
Sexual harassment or sexual violence between pupils (recorded incidents): 7 (led to a suspension or exclusion: 0; referred to social care or police: 0) – a higher number can mean a school takes reports seriously and records them carefully

See the bullying figures for every school in Ipswich →

Figures may show "<5" for some schools.

What does "<5" mean?

A figure shown as "<5" means the real number is below 5 - the standard convention for this kind of data, used to avoid identifying individual pupils. Different schools may also record and define incidents differently, so read comparisons with care.

5th of 6 primary schools in Ipswich for behaviour

#3St Mark's Catholic Primary School50%
#4Rose Hill Primary40%
#5St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich33%
#6St Pancras Catholic Primary School18%

Click to see the full ranking

Behaviour ranking

Each school's score (out of 100) reflects how it compares to other schools in the area across all reported behaviour metrics — bullying, physical aggression, safeguarding referrals and racist incidents. A higher score means fewer reported incidents relative to peers. Ranked by real FOI-reported figures. Schools that have declined to provide this data sit at the bottom — refusing a legal request is treated as worse than any honestly-reported result.

Rank School Score

#1St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich83%
#2Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery76%
#3St Mark's Catholic Primary School50%
#4Rose Hill Primary40%
#5St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich33%
#6St Pancras Catholic Primary School18%

Across Suffolk: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 20 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 14 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Suffolk (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 16.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 14.3%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 13 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 13 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 12 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 8 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 5 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

This score reflects how openly the school responded to our Freedom of Information request. Schools that withhold information are rated lower — even the act of hiding data tells parents something about a school’s openness.

Response: Full response (+60)
Timeliness: Response date not recorded (+10)
Optional data: No optional data (+0)

Exemplary (80–100) · Cooperative (60–79) · Reluctant (40–59) · Obstructive (20–39) · Opaque (0–19)

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 63% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 8% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 6 percentage points above the Ipswich average (57%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 67% against an expected 66%)
3-year average (expected standard): 67%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 68% · Writing 70% · Maths 72% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 63%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 106
Based on: 60 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolIpswich averageEngland↘ Falling Down 12 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 6 percentage points above the Ipswich average (57%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 9th of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

=9Britannia Primary School and Nursery63%
=9Ravenswood Community Primary School63%
=9St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich63%
#12Handford Hall Primary School62%
#13Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy60%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich87%
#2St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich75%
#3Cliff Lane Primary School74%
=4Halifax Primary School72%
=4St Pancras Catholic Primary School72%
#6Sprites Primary Academy71%
=7Dale Hall Community Primary School67%
=7The Oaks Primary School67%
=9Britannia Primary School and Nursery63%
=9Ravenswood Community Primary School63%
=9St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich63%
#12Handford Hall Primary School62%
#13Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy60%
=14Rose Hill Primary59%
=14Rushmere Hall Primary School59%
=16Castle Hill Junior School57%
=16Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery57%
#18Gusford Community Primary School55%
=19Hillside Primary School53%
=19St Helen's Primary School53%
#21Sidegate Primary School51%
#22The Beeches Community Primary School50%
#23Springfield Junior School49%
#24St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich47%
#25Whitehouse Community Primary School46%
#26Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy44%
#27Morland Church of England Primary School36%
#28The Willows Primary School35%
#29Ranelagh Primary School23%

View full Ofsted inspection report

16th of 21 primary schools in Ipswich for Ofsted rating

#14St Helen's Primary SchoolGood
#15St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#16St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#17St Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#18St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, IpswichGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1St Mary's Catholic Primary School, IpswichOutstanding
#2The Oaks Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Britannia Primary School and NurseryGood
#4Cliff Lane Primary SchoolGood
#5Dale Hall Community Primary SchoolGood
#6Halifax Primary SchoolGood
#7Handford Hall Primary SchoolGood
#8Morland Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm AcademyGood
#10Ranelagh Primary SchoolGood
#11Rushmere Hall Primary SchoolGood
#12Sidegate Primary SchoolGood
#13Sprites Primary AcademyGood
#14St Helen's Primary SchoolGood
#15St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#16St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#17St Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#18St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, IpswichGood
#19St Pancras Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#20The Beeches Community Primary SchoolGood
#21The Willows Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,276 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

12th of 27 primary schools in Ipswich for spending per pupil

#10Whitehouse Community Primary School£6,293
#11St Pancras Catholic Primary School£6,291
#12St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich£6,276
#13Gusford Community Primary School£6,241
#14Handford Hall Primary School£6,204

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy£8,624
#2The Willows Primary School£7,703
#3Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy£7,448
#4Hillside Primary School£7,250
#5Ranelagh Primary School£7,054
#6Morland Church of England Primary School£6,923
#7Sidegate Primary School£6,509
#8Rushmere Hall Primary School£6,450
#9St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich£6,448
#10Whitehouse Community Primary School£6,293
#11St Pancras Catholic Primary School£6,291
#12St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich£6,276
#13Gusford Community Primary School£6,241
#14Handford Hall Primary School£6,204
#15Rose Hill Primary£6,200
#16St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich£6,170
#17The Beeches Community Primary School£6,050
#18St Helen's Primary School£6,046
#19Ravenswood Community Primary School£5,966
#20St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich£5,912
#21The Oaks Primary School£5,822
#22Dale Hall Community Primary School£5,756
#23Cliff Lane Primary School£5,455
#24Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery£5,350
#25Sprites Primary Academy£5,303
#26Halifax Primary School£5,210
#27Britannia Primary School and Nursery£4,758

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

Environment

Data received 2025/26

About this Environment status

Based on real information requested under Freedom of Information, covering step-free access, specialist facilities, classroom climate, and technology provision.

Accessibility

Step-free for pupils, staff and visitors: No
Overall accessibility: Partially
Lifts for pupil use: Yes
Accessible toilets: Yes
Changing Places facility: Yes
Sensory room: No

Climate

Classrooms with air conditioning: 0%
Mechanical ventilation: Yes - all classrooms
Air cooling units: No
Shaded outdoor areas: Yes
Heatwave procedures: Yes - informal arrangements

Technology

Pupil devices (approx.): 120
Pupils per device: 3:1
Digital display in every classroom: Yes
Interactive whiteboards: Yes - all classrooms
1:1 pupil device programme: No
Coding / robotics equipment: Yes
Assistive technology for SEND pupils: Yes

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