School profile

Hillside Primary School

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ipswich, IP2 8NU

Requires improvement

Map showing Hillside Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#11,486 of 15,057

Worse than 76% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Hillside Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 2 Jun 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages3 to 11
Pupils402
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Lucy Wass
TrustTHE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED
Local authoritySuffolk
Opened01 Jul 2014
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 140887.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolSuffolkEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths53%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk59%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.3%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk7%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.101, worse than England, worse than Suffolk105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.102, worse than England, worse than Suffolk104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.101, worse than England, worse than Suffolk104105
Expected standard in reading60%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk73%76%
Expected standard in writing72%, similar to England, similar to Suffolk70%73%
Expected standard in maths74%, similar to England, similar to Suffolk71%75%
Pupils taking tests58--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils402
Girls204
Boys198
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.44%
First language not English54%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.602
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.377
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.37.4%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.58
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.15
Average class size26.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
25.6%
Other White
24.1%
Gypsy/Roma
14.4%
African
10.7%
Other mixed
9.2%
Other ethnic group
5.7%
Indian
2.2%
Other Asian
1.7%
White and Black Caribbean
1.5%
Other Black
1.2%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher23.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.3
Teachers (FTE)16.6
Teaching assistants (FTE)25.32
Support staff (FTE)32.97
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2518.7
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2513.7
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/252
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.32
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.36
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.28
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.28
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSuffolkEngland
Overall absence5%, similar to England, similar to Suffolk5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.16.3%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk12.6%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.3.1%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk1.2%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.7%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Hillside Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miSecondaryStoke High School - Ormiston AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.4 miPrimaryHalifax Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miNot applicableSt Joseph's CollegeOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miPrimarySt Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimarySt Matthew's Church of England Primary School, IpswichAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miSecondaryChantry AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.9 miPrimaryCliff Lane Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.9 miPrimaryThe Willows Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.0 miPrimaryRanelagh Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.0 miPrimarySt Helen's Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Hillside Primary School

What is Hillside Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Hillside Primary School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 2 Jun 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Hillside Primary School rank in England?

Hillside Primary School ranks 11,486 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (worse than 76% of schools).

What are Hillside Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 53% of pupils at Hillside Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Hillside Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Hillside Primary School made 32 offers from 36 applications (1.1 per offer), and 28 of 28 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Hillside Primary School?

Hillside Primary School has 402 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of Hillside Primary School?

Hillside Primary School had 602 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Hillside Primary School?

At Hillside Primary School, the average class had 26.8 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 23.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Hillside Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Hillside Primary School missed 5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 16.3% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.