Photo: Jo and Steve Turner · CC BY-SA 2.0Hadleigh’s state schools get lower results than 53% of towns in England
4 state-funded schools are located in Hadleigh’s built-up area. Hadleigh grades B− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #13 of 34 in Suffolk. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Hadleigh grades B− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 345 pupils in results over three years. Hadleigh has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (142 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Where Hadleigh’s 4 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Hadleigh’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 19% at Hadleigh Community Primary School to 24% at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Hadleigh. Against schools with the same intake, Hadleigh Community Primary School does best: 72% with 19% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 63%. 1 of 3 primaries are above the line.
Show as a table
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadleigh Community Primary SchoolKS2 % | 19% | 72% | 63% | +9 |
| Beaumont Community Primary SchoolKS2 % | 21% | 51% | 63% | −12 |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary School, HadleighKS2 % | 24% | 40% | 62% | −22 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
How school places work in Hadleigh
Suffolk County Council handles applications for every state school in Hadleigh, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Hadleigh’s 4 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%.
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
4 state schools in Hadleigh
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Hadleigh’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadleigh Community Primary SchoolJanuary 2026 | Met | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Expected standard | Expected standard |
2 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penrose Learning TrustHadleigh High | 1 | 712 | C+ |
| St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi-Academy TrustSt Mary's | 1 | 122 | D |
| Suffolk County CouncilHadleigh, Beaumont | 2 | 626 | A−C− |
Where Hadleigh’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Hadleigh teaches 11 to 16. The nearest college is Suffolk New College, a further-education college 8.8 miles away.
| College | Distance |
|---|---|
| Suffolk New CollegeFurther-education college · IP4 1LT | 8.8 mi |
| Colchester InstituteFurther-education college · CO3 3LL | 11 mi |
222nd of 437 English towns of 6,000 to 12,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Hadleigh, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowdon Greater Manchester | A+ | 83% | 78.4 | 99% |
| … | |||||
| 218 | Waltham Lincolnshire | B− | 63% | 43.7 | 43% |
| 219 | Barwell Leicestershire | B− | 57% | 48.7 | 51% |
| 220 | Mossley Greater Manchester | B− | 64% | 43.5 | 40% |
| 221 | Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross Berkshire | B− | 60% | 45.6 | 47% |
| 222 | Hadleigh Suffolk | B− | 63% | 45.6 | 40% |
| 223 | Baldock Hertfordshire | B− | 58% | 48.3 | 47% |
| 224 | Kingsteignton Devon | B− | 61% | 46.5 | 44% |
| 225 | Catshill Worcestershire | B− | 63% | 43.4 | 41% |
| 226 | Weaverham Cheshire | B− | 52% | 51 | 56% |
| … | |||||
| 437 | Freshwater and Totland Isle of Wight | D− | 39% | — | — |
Hadleigh and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hadleigh 4 schools | B− | 63% | 45.6 |
| Elmsett 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2.7 mi | C− | 42% | 45.6 |
| Bildeston 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi | A− | 66% | — |
| Capel St Mary 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.9 mi | B− | 55% | 49.8 |
| Great Bricett 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 5.2 mi | A+ | 74% | — |
| East Bergholt 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.5 mi | A | 71% | 49.5 |
| Bramford 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6.2 mi | D | 56% | 41 |
| Great Blakenham 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 7.3 mi | C | 56% | 45.2 |
Great Bricett has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Hadleigh: 9% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Hadleigh
Are schools in Hadleigh good?
Hadleigh’s state schools earn a B− against schools across England: primary results beat 56% of towns in England; secondary results beat 40% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Suffolk council.
What is the best primary school in Hadleigh?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Hadleigh Community Primary School: 72% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Hadleigh secondary schools have sixth forms?
No. The state secondary teaches 11–16; students move at 16 to a college, a sixth form elsewhere or an apprenticeship.
How do I apply for a school place in Hadleigh?
Through Suffolk County Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many state schools are in Hadleigh?
4 open state-funded schools are located in Hadleigh’s built-up area: 3 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.