School Chooser

The Sibsey Free Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedVoluntary173 pupilsBostonLincolnshire
School Chooser Score
77
Above
similar schools
Likely range 55 to 89, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, October 2022
Reached the expected level at 1178%England 63%
Attendance95.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull173 pupils, 170 places
Pupils per teacher20.7School workforce census

The Sibsey Free Primary School is a voluntary controlled school in Boston for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 173 pupils, 3 more than it has places for. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 77 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Main Road, Sibsey, Boston, PE22 0RR01205 750335sibseyprimaryschool.squarespace.comMr Graeme Wright headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 19 October 2022 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

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

Reached the expected level at 1178%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level11%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 75%75%20172018: 76%76%20182019: 76%76%20192023: 80%80%20232024: 85%85%20242025: 78%78%2025
Since 2017: +3%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017LincolnshireEngland
Pupils tested272630252124
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths78%85%80%76%76%75%59%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths11%4%10%20%14%8%6%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0107.0108.0107.0107.0106.0104.5105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0108.0106.0108.0107.0106.0103.5104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0111.0108.0110.0109.0107.0103.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard81%88%87%84%81%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard81%85%83%88%90%88%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)78%85%93%84%90%83%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.3+1.6+1.1+2.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.8+2.5+1.8+2.2
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged71%71%56%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged80%89%90%

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. 1 of the 3 gaps is 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
71%80%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
87%67%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%11%
Gap 11 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.

Nearly full171 pupils for 175 places, 2024/25
98% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have fallen by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child chosen by how close to the school they lived, but the council didn't publish how far away that was.

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary2525LA
2025 Primary2525LA
2024 Primary2520all offeredLA
2023 Primary2525LA
2022 Primary2522all offeredLA
2021 Primary2523all offeredLA
2020 Primary2519all offeredLA
2019 Primary2523all 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 roll173Census January 2026
Places170102% full
Pupils from low-income families16%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%24 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.05 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils40%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£43,400 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls84 / 89
White British pupils95%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 33.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (12), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (6), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (3), Specific learning difficulty (2), language and communications needs (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll173173176172178173
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%21%22%21%21%19%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%0%0%1%1%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%19%19%12%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans5%1%1%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, 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 absence4.6%4.8%4.7%5.6%2.0%3.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.4%3.8%3.8%4.5%1.6%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%1.0%0.9%1.1%0.4%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.4%8.6%9.7%11.5%3.8%6.1%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.03.40.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.3full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher20.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants11.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,923
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.62024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,576England £7,738. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£6,674England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,954England £3,480
Money in reserve8%A healthy amount put by: £94k, £541 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£17kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,576spent 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 m2412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate44 per 1,000 people52% lower than the England average
Typical house price£219,950East Lindsey
Nearest bus stop50 mSibsey School, 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
West Fen Primary SchoolAcademy2.2 milesNot inspectedCompare
Old Leake Primary AcademyAcademy3.6 miles168Report card 202632Compare
Stickney Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England3.8 miles144No overall grade 202511Compare
Saint Mary's RC Primary Academy BostonAcademy4.0 miles189Good 202352Compare
Tower Road AcademyAcademy4.1 miles559Good 202446Compare
Park AcademyAcademy4.1 miles300Good 202029Compare
The Butterwick Pinchbeck's Endowed CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England4.4 miles248Report card 202629Compare
Hawthorn Tree SchoolCouncil4.5 miles364Good 202224Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares The Sibsey Free Primary School 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.

Beats85%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 77 is 29 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 48 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 77 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 77% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 55 to 89. 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%above
+0.11
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 27 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.09
DfE progress measure; 27 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.03
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 159 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 27 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 The Sibsey Free Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. The Sibsey Free Primary School scores 77 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 85% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 55 to 89, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is The Sibsey Free Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Sibsey Free Primary School good at its last full inspection on 19 October 2022.

How good are The Sibsey Free Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 78% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 11% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does The Sibsey Free Primary School have?

173 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 170 places, so it is 102% full.

Is The Sibsey Free Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at The Sibsey Free Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 9% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at The Sibsey Free Primary School?

The average class had 28.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 40% 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
Main Road, Sibsey, Boston, PE22 0RR
Telephone
01205 750335
Website
www.sibseyprimaryschool.squarespace.com
Headteacher
Mr Graeme Wright
Type of school
Voluntary controlled school (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Lincolnshire
Ward
Sibsey & Stickney
Constituency
Boston and Skegness
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
120628 · LAESTAB 9253170 · UKPRN 10078115

Where these figures come from