School Chooser

Coupals Primary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy290 pupilsNurseryHaverhillSuffolk
School Chooser Score
56
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 36 to 75
Out of 100. Better than 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, January 2023
Reached the expected level at 1177%England 63%
Attendance94.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families19%A bit fewer than most schools
PlacesFull290 pupils, 216 places
Pupils per teacher21.3School workforce census

Coupals Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Haverhill for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 290 pupils, 74 more than it has places for. About 19 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 56 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, CB9 0LB01440 763933coupalsacademy.co.ukMrs Jane Sendall head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 12 January 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

44 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1177%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level9%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 71%71%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 51%51%20232024: 60%60%20242025: 77%77%2025
Since 2017: +10%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SuffolkEngland
Pupils tested445849333130
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths77%60%51%70%71%67%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths9%9%2%15%19%7%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0103.0103.0105.0105.0103.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0103.0102.0108.0106.0106.0103.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0104.0102.0107.0106.0108.0103.8105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard84%69%61%70%74%77%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%72%65%79%81%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)82%81%67%79%81%80%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.6-0.1+0.5+0.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.8+2.7+2.6+2.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged86%50%50%50%57%29%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%64%52%76%75%78%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 4 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
86%73%
Gap 13 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
75%79%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
83%77%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%9%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places278 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
66% full

142 places were empty (34% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 18% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Suffolk council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll290Census January 2026
Places216134% full
Pupils from low-income families19%19% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English29%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%26 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.110 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils10%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)21%£83,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls161 / 129
White British pupils65%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (11), Other difficulty or disability (8), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), emotional and mental health (6), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll290287305331339321
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals19%22%23%26%21%20%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language29%27%18%14%12%11%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support7%9%10%10%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%2%3%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.2%6.1%6.5%7.7%3.7%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.3%5.1%5.4%7.1%3.3%3.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.0%1.2%0.6%0.3%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.9%17.4%16.7%25.6%6.8%9.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.28.911.25.64.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers13.3full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher21.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers71%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£41,998
Teachers who left in the year14%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.22024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,397England £7,128. Total £1.8m
Income per pupil£6,937England £7,587. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,554England £3,405
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £88k, £305 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£155kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,397spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m13812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate92 per 1,000 peopleabout the England average
Typical house price£290,000West Suffolk
Nearest bus stop60 mPrimary School, 22 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Westfield Primary AcademyAcademy900 m425Good 202225Compare
Place Farm Primary AcademyAcademy1.1 miles416Good 202259Compare
New Cangle Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles210Good 202325Compare
Clements Primary AcademyAcademy1.4 miles268Report card 202638Compare
Burton End Primary AcademyAcademy1.6 miles449Good 202027Compare
Kedington Primary AcademyAcademy1.6 miles208Good 202485Compare
St Felix Roman Catholic Primary School, HaverhillAcademy1.6 miles217Good 202462Compare
Steeple Bumpstead Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles189Good 202250Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Coupals Primary Academy with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats40%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 56 is 8 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 8 · middle 65 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Coupals Primary Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Louis Catholic AcademyAcademy11.9 miles300No overall grade 202565Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 56 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 56% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 36 to 75. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.02
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 44 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.15
DfE progress measure; 44 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well above
+0.20
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 267 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.04
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 44 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Coupals Primary Academy a good school?

It is about average. Coupals Primary Academy scores 56 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 36 to 75, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Coupals Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Coupals Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 12 January 2023.

How good are Coupals Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 77% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 9% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Coupals Primary Academy have?

290 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 216 places, so it is 134% full.

Is Coupals Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 142 places were empty in 2024/25 (34% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Coupals Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Coupals Primary Academy?

The average class had 28.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 10% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, CB9 0LB
Telephone
01440 763933
Website
www.coupalsacademy.co.uk
Head Teacher
Mrs Jane Sendall
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Unity Schools Partnership (40 schools)
Local authority
Suffolk
Ward
Haverhill South East
Constituency
West Suffolk
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2015 (new provision)
URN
141371 · LAESTAB 9352047 · UKPRN 10047498
Formerly
Coupals Community Primary School

Where these figures come from