School Chooser

Holbeach Bank Primary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy84 pupils Free breakfast clubSpaldingLincolnshire
School Chooser Score
8
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 3 to 25, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1123%England 63%
Attendance93.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families48%Far more than most schools
Places21 spare84 pupils, 105 places
Pupils per teacher12.0School workforce census

Holbeach Bank Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Spalding for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 84 pupils and room for 105. About 48 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 9 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Roman Bank, Holbeach Bank, Spalding, PE12 8BX01406 423375holbeachbankacademy.co.ukMiss Kerryann Cunningham headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 October 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

13 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1123%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score101.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score97.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 25%25%20172018: 18%18%20182019: 17%17%20192023: 20%20%20232024: 23%23%20242025: 23%23%2025
Since 2017: -2%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320192018†2017†LincolnshireEngland
Pupils tested13131512118
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths23%23%20%17%18%25%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.0102.098.094.0103.098.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score97.0100.097.094.0100.095.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0101.098.094.0101.099.0103.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard46%62%33%25%55%38%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard31%46%47%25%45%25%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)46%23%33%50%27%25%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.0-2.1-1.0-5.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.6-3.7-4.2-9.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged25%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged14%

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.

† These results are for Holbeach Bank Primary School, the school this one replaced in June 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places85 pupils for 105 places, 2024/25
81% full

20 places were empty (19% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 21% since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (12 offers for 15 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary1512all offeredLA
2025 Primary154all offeredLA
2024 Primary1510all offeredLA
2023 Primary157all offeredLA
2022 Primary1512all offeredLA
2021 Primary1512all offeredLA
2020 Primary158all offeredLA
2019 Primary154all offeredLA

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 roll84Census January 2026
Places10580% full
Pupils from low-income families48%48% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%17 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan10%8 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.04 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)55%£69,750 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls49 / 35
White British pupils73%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 15.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (10), emotional and mental health (6), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Physical disability (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Other difficulty or disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll8490100757063
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals48%53%60%51%69%52%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%8%7%11%6%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support28%27%28%37%27%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans7%3%4%7%8%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils12.22024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.7%5.0%5.3%7.5%4.7%5.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.5%4.1%4.5%5.5%3.9%4.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.0%0.8%2.0%0.7%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.0%11.0%14.7%25.4%10.9%16.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate12.23.04.02.90.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers7.0full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher12.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£36,687
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.02024/25

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£9,178England £7,128. Total £826k
Income per pupil£10,467England £7,587. Total £942k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,256England £3,405
Money in reserve8%Not much put by: £73k, £816 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£116kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,178spent 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 m312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate58 per 1,000 people36% lower than the England average
Typical house price£235,000South Holland
Nearest bus stop280 mMarylands, 5 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
Holbeach Primary AcademyAcademy1.3 miles309Good 202327Compare
The Holbeach William Stukeley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.8 miles309Good 202465Compare
The Holbeach St Mark's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England2.5 miles48No overall grade 20255Compare
Whaplode Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.8 miles186Good 202227Compare
Fleet Wood Lane SchoolCouncil2.9 miles163Report card 202616Compare
Gedney Church End Primary AcademyAcademy3.4 miles47Inadequate 20238Compare
The John Harrox Primary School, MoultonCouncil4.1 miles268No overall grade 202547Compare
Weston St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy4.5 miles61Not inspectedCompare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Holbeach Bank Primary Academy with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats24%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 9 is 10 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 18 · highest 95100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Holbeach Bank 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
Fishtoft AcademyAcademy9.0 miles60Good 202457Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 9 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 9% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 25. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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%well below
-0.33
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 13 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.19
DfE progress measure; 13 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.08
2024/25; 94 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.20
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 13 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 Holbeach Bank Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Holbeach Bank Primary Academy scores 9 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 24% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 25, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Holbeach Bank Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Holbeach Bank Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 19 October 2022.

How good are Holbeach Bank Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 23% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Holbeach Bank Primary Academy have?

84 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 105 places, so it is 80% full.

Is Holbeach Bank Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 20 places were empty in 2024/25 (19% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Holbeach Bank Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Holbeach Bank Primary Academy?

The average class had 21.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Holbeach Bank Primary Academy have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Roman Bank, Holbeach Bank, Spalding, PE12 8BX
Telephone
01406 423375
Website
www.holbeachbankacademy.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Kerryann Cunningham
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
University of Lincoln Academy Trust (7 schools)
Local authority
Lincolnshire
Ward
Holbeach Hurn
Constituency
South Holland and The Deepings
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 June 2018 (new provision)
URN
145734 · LAESTAB 9252047 · UKPRN 10067066
Formerly
Holbeach Bank Primary School

Where these figures come from