Elm Tree Primary School, Lowestoft
Elm Tree Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Lowestoft, part of Evolution Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 18 schools in Lowestoft with published results, and 941st of 14,452 across England. It was 63% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Elm Tree Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 94% of Year 6 pupils at Elm Tree Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 91% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Suffolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 92% in reading and 86% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Elm Tree Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Elm Tree Primary School as their first choice and 90 named it as one of their preferences, for 52 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Elm Tree Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Elm Tree Primary School are Dell Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 75% reading, 62% maths); Westwood Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 82% reading, 82% maths); Grove Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 88% reading, 83% maths); and Phoenix St Peter Academy (1 mile, Requires improvement, 68% reading, 74% maths).
Elm Tree Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Dell Primary SchoolWestwood Primary SchoolGrove Primary SchoolPhoenix St Peter Academy
The trust
Elm Tree Primary School is one of 12 schools run by Evolution Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
1.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 18 pupils (6.8%) received SEN support and 12 (4.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Staffing
Elm Tree Primary School had 20 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance3, about 770 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cotmer Road (o/s 72), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Elm Tree Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 104 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Elm Tree Primary School issued 17 suspensions, 6.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Elm Tree Primary School are East Point Academy (0.8 miles) and Pakefield High School (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
25.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 94% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 86% to 91% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.4
Avg class size
22.5
Infant (KS1)
22.3
KS2
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Elm Tree Primary School
Term dates
Elm Tree Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Suffolk's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Elm Tree Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Elm Tree Primary School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Elm Tree Primary School
Will you get a place at Elm Tree Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Elm Tree Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Elm Tree Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Elm Tree Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Suffolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Elm Tree Primary School for 2016 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Suffolk got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
63%
Available places
265 pupils
420 places
155 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Lowestoft
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Lowestoft
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,806
Applications
6,492
Got 1st preference
94.9%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
11.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
266
Total Pupils
131
Boys
135
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
13.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,731
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,431
Per pupil
£1653k
Total funding
£117k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
9.7%
Persistent absence
237
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Elm Tree Primary School
Questions parents ask about Elm Tree Primary School
What are SATs results like at Elm Tree Primary School?
Of the pupils at Elm Tree Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 94% reached the expected standard in reading and 91% did so in maths.
What is Elm Tree Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Elm Tree Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Elm Tree Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Elm Tree Primary School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Elm Tree Primary School?
Elm Tree Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Elm Tree Primary School?
Classes at Elm Tree Primary School average 22.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Elm Tree Primary School?
Elm Tree Primary School has around 266 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Elm Tree Primary School?
5% of sessions were missed at Elm Tree Primary School in 2024/25. 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Elm Tree Primary School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Elm Tree Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Elm Tree Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Elm Tree Primary School?
Elm Tree Primary School is at Ranworth Avenue, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 9HN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)