Welcome to Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy

Nestled in the heart of the picturesque village of Great Barton, just minutes from the historic town of Bury St Edmunds, our school is a vibrant and nurturing community where children aged 4 to 11 grow, learn, and thrive.

At Great Barton CE Primary Academy, we believe childhood is a time to be cherished. Our dedicated staff, strong Christian values, and inspiring curriculum ensure that every child feels safe, supported, and encouraged to reach their full potential.

We are proud to serve the communities of Great Barton and Great Livermere, and warmly welcome families from beyond our traditional catchment—including Bury St Edmunds, Fornham, and the Marham Park estate—just a short drive away.

Whether your child is starting their first day of school or joining us further along the journey, we look forward to welcoming you into our school family.

We aim for every child at our school to have a happy and successful primary education in a supportive, stimulating environment.  The primary years of a child’s education are vital in laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning.  Visitors frequently comment on the calm, happy and purposeful atmosphere throughout the school.

Members of staff are very experienced and work hard as a team to plan and teach the curriculum to ensure that each child’s progress through the school is as smooth as possible.  The quality and commitment of our staff ensures that children are put at the heart of everything we do. 

We are proud of the opportunities we offer our children, the close partnership between parents, governors and staff, and the achievements of our pupils.  Parents are encouraged to come into school regularly and to help out with a wide range of activities.  The children benefit greatly from this partnership and we welcome the enormous support that parents give their children.

Our last OFSTED inspection was held in November 2023:

We were very pleased to have our Ofsted inspection in November, having been exempt from inspection until November 2020.  Since the school's last inspection 14 years ago and having seen several big changes to the inspection framework and a complete change of the school from 150 pupils to 210 pupils, we welcomed their visit.  

The key findings from the report were as follows:

• The school’s warm and caring environment provides a safe space for pupils to thrive and flourish.
• Adults set high standards for pupils’ learning from early years upwards. Pupils live up to these expectations. They always try their very best in lessons and achieve well.
• Opportunities for pupils to take part in activities to promote their wider personal development are in abundance. It goes beyond what many pupils may normally get to experience.
•  A deep culture of mutual respect runs through the school. Pupils, including the very youngest, behave extremely well.
•  The school’s curriculum provides pupils with a well-curated path to success as they move through the school.
•  Children in the Reception class learn a rich and precisely designed curriculum. More widely, pupils in Years 1 to 6 benefit from teachers with strong subject knowledge. Teachers explain new concepts clearly, so pupils understand well.
•  Lessons are calm and rarely disturbed. Pupils have fun in class but respect when it is time to concentrate on their work.
•  The school’s established personal development programme supports pupils as they grow and develop. This highly considered and deliberate approach helps pupils to develop their character and independence over time.
•  The school provides effective support for teachers and keeps a close eye on their workload. Staff are united in their approach to provide the best education they can for pupils.
•  The open flow of information between the board of trustees and school governors ensures that they all have the knowledge needed to carry out their statutory roles effectively. Governors and trustees visit school regularly to quality assure school improvement.
•  The school needs to provide support and training for staff to ensure targets are precise and activities are carefully adapted to support pupils with SEND to achieve exceptionally well.

Overall effectiveness:  GOOD

The quality of education:  GOOD

Behaviour and attitudes:  OUTSTANDING

Personal development:  OUTSTANDING

Leadership and management:  GOOD

Early years provision:  OUTSTANDING

As a Church of England school, we are also receive a Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005.  Our latest report (July 2019), for which we received a 'good' grade, states:

This report is also available from the school, free of charge or by following this link

Thedwastre Education Trust

On 1 January 2016, the school became an academy. Together with three local primary schools, we have formed our own education trust, Thedwastre Education Trust (TET). As small rural schools, we recognise the value in working collaboratively to improve outcomes for all our children. TET provides a supportive structure within which we will maintain our individual school identities, whilst offering extended opportunities for all pupils and staff to share best practice and offer challenge between schools. The website for the Thedwastre Education Trust can be found here

We hope you find the information you need on our website.  There is no real substitute for visiting us, however, and we warmly welcome prospective parents to the school to meet the staff and children and to see our facilities.  You will then see for yourself the happy and caring atmosphere, the quality of the learning environment, the standard of work and behaviour and the positive attitudes of those who work and study here.

We are proud of the achievements of our school community and look forward to meeting you.