Elmswell Community Primary School, Bury St Edmunds
Elmswell Community Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bury St Edmunds. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 26 schools in Bury St Edmunds with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 81% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Elmswell Community Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Elmswell Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Suffolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (88% in reading, 80% in maths).
Getting a place at Elmswell Community Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 65 families put Elmswell Community Primary School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 6 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Elmswell Community Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Elmswell Community Primary School are Woolpit Primary Academy (1.3 miles, Good, 47% reading, 47% maths); Crawford's Church of England Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); Thurston Church of England Primary Academy (2.5 miles, Good, 78% reading, 75% maths); and Norton CEVC Primary School (2.5 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 83% maths).
Elmswell Community Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Woolpit Primary AcademyCrawford's Church of England Primary SchoolThurston Church of England Primary AcademyNorton CEVC Primary School
What parents say
44 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Elmswell Community Primary School (as of September 2025): 80% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
3.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (88%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 28 pupils (7.3%) received SEN support and 8 (2.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 410 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Miller Close (outside), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Elmswell Community 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 16 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32).
Suspensions and exclusions
Elmswell Community Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Elmswell has created a caring community where children feel valued and safe. The school excels at teaching reading with a confident phonics approach and strong catch-up support. Pupils benefit from a rich curriculum brought to life through trips, visitors and high-quality enrichment activities including music tuition and cultural workshops.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading programme with excellent phonics delivery and early intervention for struggling readers
- Ambitious curriculum with high teacher expectations and strong subject knowledge
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs who make strong progress
- Focus on vocabulary development with pupils using subject-specific language confidently
- Excellent enrichment opportunities including residential visits, music tuition (cello and violin), and cultural workshops
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils in older year groups do not have enough opportunities to practise handwriting and letter joining, affecting writing fluency and presentation
- Teachers in some subjects do not use assessment checks effectively to identify gaps and plan next steps in learning
- Quality and presentation of writing across all subjects does not consistently reflect the school's high standards
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils feeling safe and confident that staff will address any concerns including bullying.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential visits in key stage 2, cello and violin teaching, steel pan and gamelan workshops, house captains roles, junior road safety officers, playleaders, calm corner support
Elmswell Community Primary School has maintained its good standards since the previous inspection. The school provides a nurturing community where pupils feel safe, happy and achieve well across a broad and ambitious curriculum.
At a Glance
18.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
44 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 88% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
28.4
Infant (KS1)
23.3
KS2
14
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Elmswell Community Primary School
Term dates
Elmswell Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Suffolk. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Elmswell Community Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Elmswell Community 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
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
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, 0 serious and 3 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 Elmswell Community Primary School
Will you get a place at Elmswell Community Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Elmswell Community Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Elmswell Community Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Elmswell Community 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 Elmswell Community Primary School for 2014 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
81%
Available places
341 pupils
419 places
78 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bury St Edmunds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bury St Edmunds
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
9.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
383
Total Pupils
194
Boys
189
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
21.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,484
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,038
Per pupil
£1873k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
8.7%
Persistent absence
289
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Elmswell Community Primary School
What are SATs results like at Elmswell Community Primary School?
Of the pupils at Elmswell Community Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Elmswell Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Elmswell Community Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Elmswell Community Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Elmswell Community 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 Elmswell Community Primary School?
Elmswell Community Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 81% of its 419 places.
How big are the classes at Elmswell Community Primary School?
Classes at Elmswell Community Primary School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Elmswell Community Primary School?
Elmswell Community Primary School has around 383 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Elmswell Community Primary School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Elmswell Community Primary School in 2024/25. 8.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Elmswell Community Primary School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Elmswell Community 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.
What are Elmswell Community Primary School's term dates?
Elmswell Community Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Suffolk. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Elmswell Community 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, 0 serious and 3 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Elmswell Community Primary School?
Elmswell Community Primary School is at Oxer Close, Elmswell, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP30 9UE.
Sources: Suffolk term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)