Thurston Church of England Primary Academy

Mid Suffolk · IP31 3FT

General information Primary School · 5-11 years Who goes here 349 pupils, 20.3% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted and results

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 18.9% on SEN support Behaviour 5.6% absence rate Staff 10.8% turnover Financials £5,649 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Thurston Church of England Primary Academy

General Information

Address: Pond Field Road, Bury St. Edmunds, IP31 3FT – View on map
Phone: 01359230444
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr John Bayes
Age range: 5-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 56 families put it first for 57 places – 10 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 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

349 pupils out of 420 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 71
% eligible for free school meals: 20.3%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (similar to the Mid Suffolk average)
English as an additional language: 3% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.8% a year (Mid Suffolk 14.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 16% moved to another school, 84% 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.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

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: 5.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 11.3%
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: 18.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 22 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 8 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 8 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils

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 –

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 59% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Mid Suffolk average (60%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 60% against an expected 64%)
3-year average (expected standard): 60%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 78% · Writing 83% · Maths 75% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 86%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 104
Based on: 63 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 schoolMid Suffolk averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Mid Suffolk average (60%).

Year 6 SATs: 24th of 40 junior and primary schools in the area

=21St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School, Eye60%
=21Stradbroke Church of England Primary School60%
#24Thurston Church of England Primary Academy59%
#25Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School58%
#26Claydon Primary School57%

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

#1Palgrave Church of England Primary School100%
#2Ringshall School88%
#3Norton CEVC Primary School83%
#4Thorndon Church of England Primary School82%
#5Trinity Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School80%
#6Wilby Church of England Primary School79%
#7Elmswell Community Primary School76%
=8Gislingham Church of England Primary School75%
=8Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy75%
=10Cedars Park Community Primary School72%
=10Wortham Primary School72%
#12St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School69%
#13Chilton Community Primary School68%
=14Henley Primary School67%
=14Old Newton Church of England Primary School67%
=16All Saints Church of England Primary School, Laxfield65%
=16Mellis Church of England Primary School65%
=18Abbot's Hall Community Primary School63%
=18St Edmund's Primary School63%
#20Crawford's Church of England Primary School62%
=21Mendham Primary School60%
=21St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School, Eye60%
=21Stradbroke Church of England Primary School60%
#24Thurston Church of England Primary Academy59%
#25Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School58%
#26Claydon Primary School57%
=27Somersham Primary School56%
=27Walsham-le-Willows Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School56%
=29Bramford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School54%
=29Freeman Community Primary School54%
=29Occold Primary School54%
#32Mendlesham Primary School53%
#33Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School50%
#34Wood Ley Community Primary School49%
=35Bacton Primary School47%
=35Combs Ford Primary School47%
#37Stonham Aspal Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School45%
#38Fressingfield Church of England Primary School36%
#39Bosmere Community Primary School30%
#40Woolpit Primary Academy29%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,649 (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.

42nd of 44 primary schools in Mid Suffolk for spending per pupil

#40Wood Ley Community Primary School£5,697
#41Elmswell Community Primary School£5,652
#42Thurston Church of England Primary Academy£5,649
#43Cedars Park Community Primary School£5,580
#44Grace Cook Primary School£5,570

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

#1Bedfield Church of England Primary School£18,810
#2Helmingham Primary School and Nursery£18,051
#3Occold Primary School£11,438
#4Wetheringsett Church of England Primary School£11,000
#5Mendlesham Primary School£10,443
#6Thorndon Church of England Primary School£10,423
#7Somersham Primary School£8,940
#8Mendham Primary School£8,905
#9Fressingfield Church of England Primary School£8,834
#10Woolpit Primary Academy£8,500
#11Old Newton Church of England Primary School£8,329
#12Bacton Primary School£8,159
#13St Edmund's Primary School£7,833
#14All Saints Church of England Primary School, Laxfield£7,800
#15Great Finborough Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£7,683
#16Chilton Community Primary School£7,388
#17Stradbroke Church of England Primary School£7,264
#18Henley Primary School£7,076
#19Palgrave Church of England Primary School£7,048
#20Wilby Church of England Primary School£7,015
#21Crawford's Church of England Primary School£6,868
#22St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary School, Eye£6,843
#23Trinity Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,647
#24Wortham Primary School£6,647
#25Ringshall School£6,479
#26Bosmere Community Primary School£6,445
#27Combs Ford Primary School£6,421
#28Stonham Aspal Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£6,379
#29Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School£6,346
#30Walsham-le-Willows Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,323
#31Bramford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,308
#32Abbot's Hall Community Primary School£6,213
#33Gislingham Church of England Primary School£6,205
#34Mellis Church of England Primary School£6,096
#35Norton CEVC Primary School£5,987
#36Rattlesden Church of England Primary Academy£5,942
#37Freeman Community Primary School£5,861
#38St Botolph's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£5,729
#39Claydon Primary School£5,717
#40Wood Ley Community Primary School£5,697
#41Elmswell Community Primary School£5,652
#42Thurston Church of England Primary Academy£5,649
#43Cedars Park Community Primary School£5,580
#44Grace Cook Primary School£5,570

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

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