SCHOOL PROFILE

Poplars Community Primary School

Primary Academy converter URN 145541
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 598 Published school capacity
Capacity used 43.5% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

21 November 2023
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Good
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

29 June 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next
Published 21 September 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Suffolk
Trust EVOLUTION ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 260 260 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 120 46.2% of pupils
Male pupils 140 53.8% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

47.3%
22.5 pts above England
School 47.3%
East Suffolk 23.6%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.5%
13.8 pts below England
School 6.5%
East Suffolk 5.0%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

7.3%
6.3 pts above England
School 7.3%
East Suffolk 2.3%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.9%
226
Any other White background
6.9%
18
White and Asian
1.9%
5
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
4
Any other Asian background
0.8%
2
Gypsy / Roma
0.8%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 29.2% 76 of 260 pupils
8.4 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 29.2%
East Suffolk 22.6%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 22.3% 58 pupils
England 14.8% 7.5 pts above
EHC plans 6.9% 18 pupils
England 6.0% 0.9 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Speech, language & communication 23
Specific learning difficulty 19
Autistic spectrum disorder 12
Moderate learning difficulty 12
Social, emotional & mental health 10

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

79.0% 18.6 pts above England
School 79.0%
East Suffolk 56.7%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

83.0%

9.2 pts above England

School 83.0%
East Suffolk 70.5%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

83.0%

12.7 pts above England

School 83.0%
East Suffolk 67.4%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

87.0%

15.0 pts above England

School 87.0%
East Suffolk 67.5%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

3.41%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.81 pts lower than England
School 3.41%
East Suffolk 6.54%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

4.05%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

11.77 pts lower than England
School 4.05%
East Suffolk 15.54%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.81%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.99 pts lower than England
School 0.81%
East Suffolk 2.19%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

43.5% 44.7 pts below England
Poplars Community Primary School
43.5%
East Suffolk
82.9%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information