Located in Bury St Edmunds, Howard Community Academy is a primary school, serving pupils aged 3 to 11. The school is a academy sponsor led and operates as a mixed school. It follows a not applicable admissions policy. It does not have a designated religious character, which may suit families looking for a non-faith school.
Howard Community Academy currently has around 196 pupils on roll, which is about 62% of its capacity. The gender split is relatively balanced, with approximately 48% boys and 52% girls. Around 41.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which gives an indication of the socio-economic mix. Pupil backgrounds are varied across different backgrounds and needs.
Overall absence at the school is 8%. Persistent absence is recorded at 25%.
The majority of pupils are from a white british background (69.9%).
Safeguarding was judged to be effective, which is a key consideration for many parents.
| Address: | Beard Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP32 6SA |
| Website: | www.howardacademy.org |
| Telephone: | 01284766278 |
| School Type: | Academy sponsor led |
| Education phase: | Primary |
| Local authority: | Suffolk |
| Headteacher / Principal: | Mrs Alison Weir |
| Religious character: | Does not apply |
| Admissions policy: | Not applicable |
| Unique reference: | 146280 |
Ofsted inspection date: 01/07/2025
Safeguarding is effective
| Age Range: | 3 - 11 |
| Gender: | Mixed |
| School Capacity: | 315 |
| Number of Pupils: | 196 |
| Number of Boys: | 94 |
| Number of Girls: | 102 |
| School | England state-funded schools: | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence: | 8% | 4% |
| Persistent absence: | 25% | 8.2% |
| White British | 69.90% | 137 |
| Other White | 8.20% | 16 |
| African | 4.10% | 8 |
| Other Mixed | 3.10% | 6 |
| Other (any other ethnic group) | 3.10% | 6 |
| Unclassified | 3.10% | 6 |
| Other Asian | 2.60% | 5 |
| Indian | 2.00% | 4 |
| White and Black African | 1.50% | 3 |
| White and Black Caribbean | 0.50% | 1 |
| Irish | 0.50% | 1 |
| Caribbean | 0.50% | 1 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 0.50% | 1 |
| Other Black | 0.50% | 1 |
| White and Asian | 0.00% | 0 |
| Pakistani | 0.00% | 0 |
| Bangladeshi | 0.00% | 0 |
| Chinese | 0.00% | 0 |
| Irish Traveller (Traveller of Irish heritage) | 0.00% | 0 |
Progress scores show how pupils performed compared with pupils nationally who had similar prior attainment. Scores above 0 are better than average; below 0 are worse than average.
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Community Academy Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 0 yd | Academy sponsor led | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Howard Community Primary School Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 0 yd | Community school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| St Alban's Catholic First School Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 208 yd | Voluntary aided school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Tollgate Primary School Tollgate Lane , IP32 6DG | 3out of 4 | 1,018 yd | Academy sponsor led | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Tollgate Primary School Tollgate Lane , IP32 6DG | - not rated | 1,018 yd | Community school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Benedict's Catholic School Beetons Way , IP32 6RH | - not rated | 865 yd | Voluntary aided school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| St Benedict's Catholic School Beetons Way , IP32 6RH | 3out of 4 | 865 yd | Academy converter | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Bury St Edmunds County High School Beetons Way , IP32 6RF | 3out of 4 | 967 yd | Academy converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Bury St Edmunds County Upper School Beetons Way , IP32 6RF | - not rated | 967 yd | Community school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| King Edward VI CEVC School Grove Road , IP33 3BH | 3out of 4 | 1,551 yd | Voluntary controlled school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Middle School Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 61 yd | Community school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Westley Middle School Oliver Road , IP33 3JB | - not rated | 1,781 yd | Academy converter | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Westley Middle School Oliver Road , IP33 3JB | - not rated | 1,781 yd | Community school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| St Louis Catholic Middle School St Andrew's Street South , IP33 3PH | - not rated | 2,612 yd | Voluntary aided school | No | Mixed | More About School |
| Horringer Court Middle School Glastonbury Road , IP33 2EX | - not rated | 3,078 yd | Academy converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Suffolk College Out Risbygate , IP33 3RL | - not rated | 1,572 yd | Further education | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Abbeygate Sixth Form College Beetons Way , IP33 3YU | - not rated | 1,624 yd | Free schools 16 to 19 | No | More About School |
| Ofsted Overall Effectiveness | Distance | Establishment Type | Has Nursery Classes | Gender | More Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Albany Brooklands Close , IP33 3JX | 1out of 4 | 93 yd | Academy alternative provision converter | No | Mixed | More About School |
| The Albany Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 189 yd | Academy alternative provision converter | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Albany PRU Beard Road , IP32 6SA | - not rated | 189 yd | Pupil referral unit | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
| Riverwalk School Chevington Close , IP33 3JZ | - not rated | 2,660 yd | Community special school | Yes | Mixed | More About School |
| Priory School Mount Road , IP32 7BH | - not rated | 3,128 yd | Community special school | Not Applicable | Mixed | More About School |
School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.