Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #150 in Suffolk public Top 65% UK

Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Victoria Gascoyne-Cecil

location_onStowmarket, IP14 6PL

language Visit Website phone 1728860201

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

164

school

Expected Standard

58%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.0x

summarize

Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School is a Voluntary aided school primary school in Stowmarket, serving ages 4-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 65% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Sir Robert Hitcham Church of England Voluntary Aided School is a voluntary aided school in Stowmarket, Suffolk, admitting pupils aged 4-11. The school has approximately 170 pupils on roll, of whom 15% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 58% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 3% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #150 of 225 primaries in Suffolk and #10,802 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 22.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 57%

Reading91% LA 73%

Writing58% LA 68%

Maths79% LA 69%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

103

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

60%

LA 55%England 61%

Reading84% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing68% LA 68% · Eng 72%

Maths72% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

52%

LA 54%England 60%

Reading62% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing69% LA 67% · Eng 71%

Maths59% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

101

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.2

Read

LA 0.0

-2.1 to 2.5

-0.2

Write

LA -0.4

-2.4 to 2.0

-2.3

Maths

LA -0.6

-4.5 to -0.2

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 61%England 65%

Reading64% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Writing67% LA 75% · Eng 78%

Maths76% LA 75% · Eng 79%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.0

Read

LA -0.6

-3.2 to 1.1

-2.6

Write

LA -0.7

-4.6 to -0.6

-0.4

Maths

LA -1.1

-2.3 to 1.5

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

48%

LA 60%

Reading79% LA 73%

Writing76% LA 74%

Maths48% LA 71%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.6

Read

LA -0.4

-2.9 to 1.7

-0.5

Write

LA -0.5

-2.7 to 1.7

-4.7

Maths

LA -1.0

-6.7 to -2.7

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

02 February 2023

Inspection Report

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27 May 2021

Inspection Report

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03 February 2021

Inspection Report

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06 June 2019

Inspection Report

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28 March 2017

Inspection Report

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14 June 2012

Inspection Report

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07 January 2011

Inspection Report

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13 November 2007

Inspection Report

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30 June 2003

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-02-02

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-06-06

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-03-28

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2012-06-14

None Legacy

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 170 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	170	0	0.0%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	170	0	0.0%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	165	0	0.0%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	160	0	0.0%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	160	0	0.0%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	168	1	0.6%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	164	1	0.6%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	164	0	0.0%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	183	5	2.7%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	184	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	178	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	186	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	181	0	0.0%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	177	3	1.7%	0.4%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	191	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	191	5	2.6%	0.4%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	187	2	1.1%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	203	11	5.4%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	202	3	1.5%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	200	3	1.5%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	200	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	198	1	0.5%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	196	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	205	2	1.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	208	2	1.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	206	4	1.9%	0.5%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Moderate Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 2 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 2 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 1 pupils

Profound & Multiple Learning 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

90.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

91.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

19.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree41%

agree47%

strongly disagree6%

don't know6%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree56%

agree38%

disagree6%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree28%

agree19%

disagree13%

strongly disagree6%

not applicable34%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree31%

agree56%

disagree9%

strongly disagree3%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree59%

agree34%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree47%

agree41%

disagree6%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree44%

disagree3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree63%

agree34%

disagree3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree41%

agree34%

disagree22%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes84%

no16%

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Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Woodhall Primary School

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Abbots Green Primary Academy

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Requires improvement

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Suffolk

The Albert Pye Community Primary School

Lavenham Community Primary School

Red Oak Primary School

Woodhall Primary School

Abbots Green Primary Academy

Poplars Community Primary School