Gunton Primary Academy, Lowestoft
Gunton Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Lowestoft, part of Reach2 Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 18 schools in Lowestoft with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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 27 Oct 2026
Gunton Primary Academy in detail
Gunton Primary Academy in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Gunton Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Suffolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 82% in reading and 75% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Gunton Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put Gunton Primary Academy as their first choice and 52 named it as one of their preferences, for 42 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 Gunton Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Gunton Primary Academy are Poplars Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, 83% reading, 87% maths); Corton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (1 mile, Good, 71% reading, 71% maths); Northfield St Nicholas Primary Academy (1 mile, Good, 73% reading, 78% maths); and St Margaret's Primary Academy (1 mile, Good, 56% reading, 63% maths).
Gunton Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Poplars Community Primary SchoolCorton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolNorthfield St Nicholas Primary AcademySt Margaret's Primary Academy
The trust
Gunton Primary Academy is one of 65 schools run by Reach2 Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Gunton Primary Academy had 19 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lowestoft Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gunton CP School (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 81 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour. 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, Gunton Primary Academy issued 22 suspensions, 7.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Gunton Primary Academy are Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics (0.5 miles); Ormiston Denes Academy (0.8 miles); and Learning Support, Northern Area Education Office (1.4 miles).
Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and MathematicsOrmiston Denes AcademyLearning Support, Northern Area Education Office
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from July 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
31.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.8
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
28.2
KS2
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Gunton Primary Academy
Newsletter - Friday 18th September 2026
20 Sep 2026
Newsletter - Friday 17th July 2026
19 Jul 2026
Newsletter - Friday 27th March 2026
27 Mar 2026
Newsletter - Friday 13th February 2026
20 Feb 2026
Newsletter - Friday 19th December 2025
19 Dec 2025
Newsletter - Friday 7th November 2025
9 Nov 2025
From Gunton Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Gunton Primary Academy
Term dates
Gunton Primary Academy 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 Gunton Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Gunton Primary Academy 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)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
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 Gunton Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Gunton Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Gunton Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Gunton Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Gunton Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Suffolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Gunton Primary Academy 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
89%
Available places
281 pupils
315 places
34 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
36
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
15.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
306
Total Pupils
158
Boys
148
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,477
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,375
Per pupil
£1743k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
13.3%
Persistent absence
249
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
Questions parents ask about Gunton Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Gunton Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Gunton Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Gunton Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Gunton Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Gunton Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Gunton Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Gunton Primary Academy?
Gunton Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Gunton Primary Academy?
Classes at Gunton Primary Academy average 25.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Gunton Primary Academy?
Gunton Primary Academy has around 306 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Gunton Primary Academy?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Gunton Primary Academy in 2024/25. 13.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Gunton Primary Academy?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Gunton Primary Academy 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 Gunton Primary Academy?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Gunton Primary Academy?
Gunton Primary Academy is at Gainsborough Drive, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 4LX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)