School profile

Castle Hill Infant School

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ipswich, IP1 6QD

Good

Map showing Castle Hill Infant School

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

Castle Hill Infant School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 15 Jan 2019

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages3 to 7
Pupils251
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Jennifer Smith
TrustASSET EDUCATION
Local authoritySuffolk
Opened01 Dec 2014
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 141372.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils251
Girls120
Boys131
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.22.3%
First language not English15.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.270
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.244
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.9.6%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.51
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.35
Average class size22.6

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
68.5%
Other White
8%
White and Black Caribbean
6%
Other ethnic group
3.6%
Other Asian
3.2%
Other mixed
2.4%
White and Asian
1.6%
Bangladeshi
1.2%
African
1.2%
Indian
0.8%

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 teacher18.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8
Teachers (FTE)13.72
Teaching assistants (FTE)17.61
Support staff (FTE)22.51
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2513.9
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2513.5
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250.4

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.77
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.136
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.68
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.68
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 absence9.3%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.28.2%, worse than England, worse than Suffolk12.6%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.4.1%, 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 rate8.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions1.8%
Permanent exclusion rate0.5%
Permanent exclusions1

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 Castle Hill Infant School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miPrimaryCastle Hill Junior SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.3 miSecondaryOrmiston Endeavour AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimaryDale Hall Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimarySt Pancras Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.5 miNurseryHighfield Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Outstanding
0.5 miPrimaryThe Beeches Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miSecondaryWestbourne AcademyAcademy converter
Inadequate
1.0 miPrimaryWhitehouse Community Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.0 miPrimarySpringfield Junior SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miPrimarySpringfield Infant School and NurseryAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about Castle Hill Infant School

What is Castle Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Castle Hill Infant School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 15 Jan 2019.

How hard is it to get into Castle Hill Infant School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Castle Hill Infant School made 77 offers from 136 applications (1.8 per offer), and 68 of 68 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Castle Hill Infant School?

Castle Hill Infant School has 251 pupils aged 3 to 7.

What is the capacity of Castle Hill Infant School?

Castle Hill Infant School had 270 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Castle Hill Infant School?

At Castle Hill Infant School, the average class had 22.6 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 18.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Castle Hill Infant School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Castle Hill Infant School missed 9.3% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 28.2% 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.