St Margaret's Primary Academy, Lowestoft

Good
Primary
Academy sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~437m)Possible (~624m)Unlikely (~811m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Julie Catchpole
Pupils:364 / 420 capacity
LA:Suffolk
Phone:01502530130
Address:Church Road, Lowestoft, NR32 4JF
Trust:REACH2 ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 July 2015

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:141984
UKPRN:10049500
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Lowestoft
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Margaret's excels at supporting every child's wellbeing and personal development. The school is genuinely inclusive, with dedicated support for disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs, and vulnerable children. Teachers are committed to high expectations and create a calm, respectful environment where pupils thrive.

Key Strengths

  • Comprehensive personal development programme teaching British values, responsibility and respect
  • Wide range of enrichment activities including the popular '11 before 11' programme
  • Strong safeguarding culture with clear procedures and pupil understanding of safety
  • Well-targeted pastoral support including nurture spaces and play therapy
  • Consistent behaviour management creating a calm, orderly and respectful environment

Areas for Improvement

  • Teaching in subjects beyond English and mathematics does not always check pupil understanding thoroughly enough
  • Some teaching does not revisit prior learning effectively
  • Staff could make better use of opportunities to develop children's vocabulary in early years
  • Some support for pupil independence is less successful than it could be

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Choir, coding, cross-country, eco-club, community projects, bird watching, camping, theatrical performances, college and university visits

St Margaret's Primary Academy is an inclusive school with strong personal development and wellbeing provision. The school is improving across most areas following recent staffing changes, with particular strengths in safeguarding and pastoral support.

At a Glance

47.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-21ppMaths-12ppWriting+2pp

Reading has declined from 77% to 56%. Maths has declined from 75% to 63%. Writing has remained stable at around 70%.

Class Sizes

26.2

Avg class size

27.0

Infant (KS1)

25.1

KS2

13

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

St Margarets CP School (opp)
99m · 2 min walk
Sports Centre (o/s)
142m · 2 min walk
Ipswich Road (adj)
206m · 3 min walk
Cross Keys (opp)
319m · 5 min walk
Youth Centre (adj)
320m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

87%

Available places

364 pupils

420 capacity

56 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Lowestoft

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,429
Projected new pupils:357

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Lowestoft

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

6.78076%

Overall absence

22.93578%

Persistent absence

327

Enrolments

Authorised5.2301%
Unauthorised1.55067%
Persistent (10%+)22.93578%
Severe (50%+)2.75229%

Absence trend

6.26857%
18/19
4.41717%
20/21
7.3143%
21/22
7.20751%
22/23
6.45937%
23/24
6.78076%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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