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Schools across Suffolk

Local authority · 365 schools across 38 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Suffolk →

Schools in Suffolk (365)

Showing 20 of 365 schools

Total Schools

365

255 primary · 46 secondary

Total Pupils

109,060

86% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

110

10 outstanding · 100 good

Capacity

126,965

17,905 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

100
251
Outstanding: 10
Good: 100
Requires Improvement: 4
Not inspected: 251

Best Schools in Suffolk

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

36.0

GCSE Eng+Maths

29.5%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

84% full
54,320 pupils64,666 capacity

10,346 spare places

Secondary Schools

90% full
41,626 pupils46,202 capacity

4,576 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

6.3%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

15.4%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

295

2024/25

Absence trend across Suffolk schools

4.6%
18/19
4.3%
20/21
7.6%
21/22
7.1%
22/23
6.8%
23/24
6.3%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

17%

Plans Issued

2,639

Assessment Requests

2,609

Tribunal Cases

136

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

34%
2019
80%
2020
88%
2021
23%
2022
4%
2023
25%
2024
17%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

8,454 admissions

69

Lodged

(0.8%)

34

Heard

14

Successful

(41%)

Primary (infant classes)

7,317 admissions

20

Lodged

(0.3%)

18

Heard

0

Successful

(0%)

Secondary

10,240 admissions

177

Lodged

(1.7%)

128

Heard

22

Successful

(17%)

Total

18,694 admissions

246

Lodged

(1.3%)

162

Heard

36

Successful

(22%)

Total appeals lodged per year

659
2019
994
2020
641
2021
585
2022
661
2023
640
2024
596
2025
512
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Suffolk

Ipswich

97 schools

Bury St Edmunds

39 schools

Lowestoft

32 schools

Woodbridge

26 schools

Stowmarket

25 schools

Sudbury

21 schools

Haverhill

13 schools

Bury St. Edmunds

13 schools

Beccles

12 schools

Eye

11 schools

Newmarket

11 schools

Felixstowe

10 schools

Saxmundham

7 schools

Halesworth

5 schools

Leiston

4 schools

Bungay

4 schools

Nr Colchester

4 schools

Southwold

3 schools

Brandon

3 schools

IPSWICH

2 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Suffolk

How many schools are there in Suffolk?

Suffolk has 365 open schools: 255 state primary, 51 state secondary or all-through, 19 independent, 30 special and 10 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Suffolk are rated Outstanding?

29 schools in Suffolk were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: West Suffolk College; Highfield Nursery School; Woods Loke Primary School; Castle EAST School; St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich; and 24 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 287 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

West Suffolk CollegeHighfield Nursery SchoolWoods Loke Primary SchoolCastle EAST SchoolSt Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Suffolk get the best GCSE results?

Of the 48 schools in Suffolk with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Sybil Andrews Academy, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.6 and 60% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Hartismere School, with an Attainment 8 score of 52.4 and 57% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Benedict's Catholic School, with an Attainment 8 score of 51.9 and 50% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Sybil Andrews AcademyHartismere SchoolSt Benedict's Catholic School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Suffolk have the best SATs results?

Of the 223 primary schools in Suffolk with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Old Newton Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Palgrave Church of England Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); and Boxford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (95% in reading, 100% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Old Newton Church of England Primary SchoolPalgrave Church of England Primary SchoolBoxford Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Suffolk?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Suffolk selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Suffolk have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Suffolk have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Suffolk?

Apply to Suffolk through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables