St Benet's RC Primary School and Nursery, Beccles

Good
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 511

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~848m)Possible (~1.2km)Unlikely (~1.6km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Patrick Kennedy
Pupils:69 / 119 capacity
LA:Suffolk
Phone:01502712012
Address:Ringsfield Road, Beccles, NR34 9PQ
Trust:ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 May 2016

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:142786
UKPRN:10056434
Diocese:Diocese of East Anglia
Constituency:Lowestoft
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Benet's is a warm, family-like school where children are happy, safe and feel they belong. The school excels at supporting vulnerable pupils and those with additional needs, providing sensitive pastoral care and meaningful help so they can participate fully. Staff build strong relationships with children and parents consistently praise the support and care their children receive.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with clear routines and high expectations for behaviour - pupils feel safe and are respectful to each other
  • Excellent inclusion and pastoral support - vulnerable pupils and those with SEND are well supported and feel they belong
  • Effective early years phonics teaching - children in Reception develop fluency quickly and are well prepared for Year 1
  • Rich curriculum enrichment including trips, sports, music and charity work that develops pupils' character and values

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent teaching quality means pupils often do not develop the detailed knowledge they need - tasks are not always structured effectively
  • Pupils have not achieved well over time in national assessments, particularly in Year 1 phonics, Year 4 and Year 6
  • Low attendance overall, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, though this has improved this year
  • Knowledge gaps in writing (particularly spelling) that carry through the school and take time to address in later years

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Sport, music, trips to Norwich Castle and the pantomime, school council, charity work supporting the local food bank

St Benet's Catholic Primary School provides a caring, inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and happy, but inconsistent teaching quality has resulted in below-average achievement across key assessments.

At a Glance

34.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-2ppMaths+19ppWriting-2pp

Reading has remained stable at around 62%. Maths has improved from 43% to 62%. Writing has remained stable at around 62%.

Class Sizes

24.3

Avg class size

23.0

KS2

3

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Entrance (Entrance)
868m · 14 min walk
Beccles Rail Station
877m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

Health Centre (adj)
205m · 3 min walk
White House Gardens (opp)
233m · 4 min walk
Ashman's Road (N-bound)
252m · 4 min walk
Puddingmoor (opp)
264m · 4 min walk
Alexandra Road (N-bound)
334m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

58%

Available places

69 pupils

119 capacity

50 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Beccles

Low pressure
New homes approved:645
Projected new pupils:161

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Beccles

Admissions Demand - Suffolk

Low demand0.73x oversubscription

Places available

8,896

Applications

6,486

Got 1st preference

96.3%

Got preferred school

99.4%

Primary admissions across Suffolk (2025/26)

Inspection History(103)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

9.56715%

Overall absence

23.52941%

Persistent absence

68

Enrolments

Authorised8.04333%
Unauthorised1.52383%
Persistent (10%+)23.52941%
Severe (50%+)1.47059%

Absence trend

4.98879%
18/19
5.00481%
20/21
7.73265%
21/22
7.91854%
22/23
8.12944%
23/24
9.56715%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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