Pot Kiln Primary School, Sudbury

Ofsted's report card from its 7 July 2026 inspection grades Pot Kiln Primary School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard, 4 needs attention and 1 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "Children in the Nursery and Reception Years are welcomed into a caring environment."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have carefully designed the school's provision for pupils' personal development."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Pupils' overall attendance is below national averages."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have introduced changes to the teaching of English and mathematics and provided staff with training to support teaching improvements."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders do not monitor closely enough whether support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is tailored effectively to meet these pupils' individual needs."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Since the previous inspection, instability of leadership has slowed the school's improvement work and contributed to weaker pupil outcomes over time."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, do not achieve as well as they should."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teaching is consistently effective in all year groups so that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make positive progress and achieve well across the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding consistently well and adapt teaching promptly to resolve misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge"; "Leaders should ensure that staff identify pupils' needs accurately, understand barriers to learning and act swiftly to address them so that pupils are successful"; "Leaders should check carefully that the school's attendance strategy is having the intended impact and take swift action when needed"; "Leaders should strengthen the school's quality assurance systems so that leaders at all levels identify and act on any areas of weakness quickly"; "Leaders should make sure that their plans for improvement are sufficiently detailed and precise so that governors can hold leaders to account effectively".

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils at Pot Kiln Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 57% 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 (65% in reading, 48% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Pot Kiln Primary School as their first choice and 27 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Pot Kiln Primary School are Wells Hall Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 77% maths); St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1 mile, Good, 79% reading, 70% maths); Tudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury (1 mile, Good, 67% reading, 72% maths); and St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (1 mile).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Pot Kiln Primary School.

8.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 66 pupils (28%) received SEN support and 8 (3.4%) 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.

Pot Kiln Primary School had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 27 pupils: fewer teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Sudbury (Suffolk) Rail Station, about 810 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lindsey Avenue (adjacent), 180 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 116 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Pot Kiln Primary School issued 13 suspensions, 4.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Pot Kiln Primary School are Thomas Gainsborough School (0.7 miles) and Ormiston Sudbury Academy (1.1 miles).