Wells Hall Primary School
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Wells Hall Primary School is a sponsored academy in Sudbury for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 494 pupils and room for 520. About 18 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 38 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 40% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Wells Hall Road, Great Cornard, Sudbury, CO10 0NH01787 373489wellshall.co.ukMr Benjamin Jeffery acting headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 20 January 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 14 September 2021 | Academy First Section 5 | Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
65 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017† | Suffolk | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 65 | 63 | 63 | 60 | 80 | 78 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 65% | 63% | 71% | 50% | 54% | 49% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 13% | 6% | 3% | 8% | 5% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.2 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 100.0 | 103.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 103.8 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 72% | 75% | 75% | 57% | 70% | 73% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 77% | 75% | 78% | 73% | 68% | 56% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 78% | 83% | 83% | 68% | 66% | 69% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.2 | -3.8 | -1.5 | -1.7 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.3 | -3.1 | -1.3 | -5.1 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 63% | 41% | 59% | 50% | 45% | 29% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 65% | 72% | 76% | 50% | 59% | 56% | – | – |
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 Wells Hall Community Primary School, the school this one replaced in July 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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
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.
The school is full. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
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.
What parents say
From Ofsted's Parent View survey: 59 parents answered in the year to 6 April 2026. Parents choose whether to fill it in, and many only do so when an inspection is coming, so don't read too much into small differences. The England figures are the average for primary schools with enough answers to publish.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. SEN unit with 11 pupils, for autism, other needs.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Suffolk with autism provision.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 32.0 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (38), emotional and mental health (16), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), Other difficulty or disability (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 494 | 491 | 502 | 482 | 454 | 448 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 18% | 18% | 18% | 19% | 21% | 20% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 15% | 13% | 13% | 8% | 7% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.1% | 5.9% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.2% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.2% | 3.5% | 3.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.2% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 11.6% | 15.4% | 17.4% | 19.7% | 12.7% | 10.9% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.5 | 3.3 | 1.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pot Kiln Primary School | Council | 0.6 miles | 236 | Good 2022 | 11 | Compare |
| St Gregory Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 1.5 miles | 227 | Good 2022 | 38 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic Primary School | Academy | 1.6 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Tudor Church of England Primary School, Sudbury | Academy | 1.6 miles | 268 | Good 2024 | 23 | Compare |
| Woodhall Primary School | Academy | 1.9 miles | 448 | Good 2019 | 64 | Compare |
| Great Waldingfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 2.3 miles | 203 | Good 2022 | 51 | Compare |
| St Andrew's Bulmer Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 miles | 64 | No overall grade 2024 | 17 | Compare |
| Acton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 miles | 196 | Good 2023 | 75 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Wells Hall Primary School 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.
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 Wells Hall Primary School, 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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadleigh Community Primary School | Council | 8.7 miles | 525 | Report card 2026 | 55 | Compare |
| White Court School | Council | 15.0 miles | 550 | Good 2022 | 66 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 38 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 38% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 23 to 56. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | in line | -0.01 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 65 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.12 | Ofsted report card, 0.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.03 | DfE progress measure; 65 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | -0.02 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 380 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.03 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 65 pupils |
| What parents say | 5% | in line | -0.02 | Ofsted's Parent View survey, allowing for how many parents replied; 59 responses |
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 Wells Hall Primary School a good school?
It is about average. Wells Hall Primary School scores 38 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 23 to 56, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Wells Hall Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 20 January 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How good are Wells Hall Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 65% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Wells Hall Primary School have?
494 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 520 places, so it is 95% full.
Is Wells Hall Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at Wells Hall Primary School?
Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
What do parents say about Wells Hall Primary School?
83% of the 59 parents who answered Ofsted's Parent View survey would recommend it to other parents, and 86% say their child is happy there. Across England, 87% of parents would recommend their child's school.
How big are the classes at Wells Hall Primary School?
The average class had 29.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 54% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Wells Hall Primary School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has sen unit for autism, other needs. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Wells Hall Road, Great Cornard, Sudbury, CO10 0NH
- Telephone
- 01787 373489
- Website
- www.wellshall.co.uk
- Acting Headteacher
- Mr Benjamin Jeffery
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Unity Schools Partnership (40 schools)
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Ward
- Great Cornard
- Constituency
- South Suffolk
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 July 2017 (new provision)
- URN
- 144218 · LAESTAB 9352209 · UKPRN 10063988
- Formerly
- Wells Hall Community Primary School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.