St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Sudbury
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Sudbury. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 15 schools in Sudbury with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 51% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 60% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 60% in reading and 47% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 18 families put St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School as their first choice and 30 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School are St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 79% reading, 70% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (2 miles); St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School (2 miles, Good, 77% reading, 77% maths); and Tudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury (2.4 miles, Good, 67% reading, 72% maths).
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolSt Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolTudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury
Who goes there
0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 24 pupils (37.5%) received SEN support and 3 (4.7%) 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
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Old Church Lane (adjacent), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often burglary and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 4.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils relish coming to St Andrew's Bulmer Primary School. The school ensures that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), participate in a wide range of activities. Pupils enjoy an extensive, carefully considered range of trips, including visits to castles and a mosque. They interact with visitors, such as from a planetarium. These activities spark their curiosity for learning about the world around them. There are several well-attended clubs, such as sports, construction and story making, which broaden pupil' interests.
Pupils get on very well with each other in school. They play happily together. Pupils say that this is a welcoming place for everyone. They treat each other, and adults, kindly. Older pupils develop their confidence when they help lead activities at play times and 'buddy' children in Reception.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school identifies the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Once pupils have grasped what they need to know, they move onto new learning. Activities at the start of lessons recap what pupils have previously learned. This helps pupils know and remember more.
Teachers typically have confident subject knowledge. They use this to introduce new learning in clear and engaging ways. Teachers often check what pupils know carefully. They use this to adjust the curriculum to close gaps in pupils' knowledge and address any misconceptions. Sometimes, however, teachers do not check pupils' knowledge well enough in lessons. When this happens, they do not spot gaps and errors in pupils' learning. Some pupils do not, therefore, always secure the knowledge that they should.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
20.3%
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 improved from 60% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 47% to 60% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.0
Avg class size
7.0
Infant (KS1)
18.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Will you get a place at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
51%
Available places
61 pupils
120 places
59 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sudbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sudbury
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(12)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
42.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
64
Total Pupils
37
Boys
27
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
12.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,463
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,697
Per pupil
£536k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
56
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 60% did so in maths.
What is St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 51% of its 120 places.
How big are the classes at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Classes at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School average 16 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School has around 64 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled 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 St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Church Road, Bulmer, Sudbury, Essex, CO10 7EH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)