Castle Hill Infant School
Dryden Road, Ipswich, IP1 6QDOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Castle Hill Infant School is a primary school in Ipswich for ages 3 to 7. It is one of the 357 schools in Suffolk. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in January 2019.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 15 January 2019, report published 31 January 2019
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 3 December 2024
Pupils love coming to this welcoming school. They demonstrate that they are ready, respectful and safe through their positive relationships with trusted adults and their peers. Pupils enjoy their learning. Teachers help make learning come to life, for example following gingerbread crumbs to find the gingerbread man or recreating the Great Fire of London. The school's learning knights, including 'Knight Thinks-a-Lot', embody the school's high expectations. Pupils rise to these. They have positive attitudes to their work. Consequently, most pupils achieve and behave well. However, a few pupils do not attend school as frequently as they should. They therefore miss the range of activities and opportunities that the school offers them. Pupils are fully aware of the school's PRIDE values of passion, resilience, integrity, determination and equity. They work hard to achieve and display these values every day. They appreciate the weekly assemblies, which celebrate their successes in demonstrating these values. Pupils have imaginative opportunities to widen their learning, for example visiting a local 'enchanted kingdom' to write creatively. Pupils extend their talents and interests through learning to play musical instruments. They attend a range of extra- curricular clubs to extend their talents and interests. These include photography, mindfulness and construction.
What the school should improve
- Sometimes, the activities that pupils are given to complete do not build effectively on prior learning, nor sufficiently extend pupils' knowledge. This hinders some pupils from achieving the highest outcomes across the curriculum. The school should ensure that all pupils are routinely given the most appropriate tasks to ensure that they build on what they already know, and can deepen their knowledge and thinking further still.
- A few pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they miss valuable learning, and their ability to build their knowledge securely over time is impaired. The school should ensure that it strengthens its attendance work with families so that all pupils attend school frequently and fully benefit from the range of opportunities and experiences that the school provides.
Pupil numbers and mix
251 pupils on roll, with places for 270
Schools near Castle Hill Infant School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Hill Junior School | 0.1 miles | Ofsted: Good | 57% met the expected standard |
| Dale Hall Community Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 67% met the expected standard |
| St Pancras Catholic Primary School | 0.4 miles | Ofsted: Good | 72% met the expected standard |
| The Beeches Community Primary School | 0.5 miles | Ofsted: Good | 50% met the expected standard |
| Whitehouse Community Primary School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Good | 46% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- ASSET EDUCATION
- Age range
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jennifer Smith
- Phone
- 01473741758
- Address
- Dryden Road, Ipswich, IP1 6QD
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- URN
- 141372
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.