King Edward VI CEVC School Review 2026: Historic Bury secondary with a structured, values-led approach

A school with roots going back to 1550 sets a particular tone, even when the daily rhythm is thoroughly modern. This is a large 11 to 16 Church of England secondary in Bury St Edmunds, built around clear routines and a strong sense of community identity. The school’s published vision centres on curiosity, courage, care and creativity, with an explicit aim that young people leave with hope and self-belief.

Recent external evidence points in a steady direction rather than a dramatic headline shift. The latest Ofsted inspection, carried out on 8 and 9 October 2024 and published 20 November 2024, concluded the school had taken effective action to maintain standards.

Parents weighing this option usually come down to three practical questions. First, do the routines and expectations suit their child’s temperament. Second, does the curriculum offer the blend of academic breadth and practical subjects they want across Years 7 to 11. Third, is admission realistic, given that the school describes itself as oversubscribed and operates a catchment then distance based oversubscription framework, with a published admission number of 240 for Year 7.

The school’s character is strongly shaped by a combination of history, values, and practical systems. Its own history materials place the founding moment very precisely, with the school opened on 3 August 1550, and they use that continuity to frame a long tradition of scholarship in the town.

The current values framework is direct and easy for pupils to hold onto. The school sets out a vision built around curiosity, courage, care and creativity, and expands these into concrete expectations such as personal responsibility, collaboration, respect and resilience. This matters because values statements only help families if they translate into daily behaviour norms, tutor time conversations, assemblies, and the way staff talk to students when something goes wrong.

Day-to-day organisation is one of the strongest signals of atmosphere. The school day is structured and published clearly, with pupils moving to tutor groups at 8.50am for registration at 8.55am, and the formal day finishing at 3.35pm, at which point enrichment begins. For many families, that simple clarity reduces friction and helps pupils build habits quickly.

Leadership is another anchor point, particularly in a large secondary where consistency matters. Mr Deri O’Regan is the headteacher, and the most recent inspection material notes he took up the role in 2022. A governor information document also records an appointment date in April 2022.

House identity appears to be a visible thread through school life. The house names Crown, Rose and Lion are used in school communications and activities, and the house structure is also reflected in pupil leadership roles such as house captains. For students who like belonging to a smaller unit within a large school, that can be a meaningful motivator, particularly when linked to competitions and charitable activity rather than only points and sanctions.

King Edward VI CEVC School sits in the middle performance band nationally on the FindMySchool ranking, which is based on official outcomes data and presented here as a consistent benchmark for parents comparing local options. Ranked 2,610th in England and 6th in Bury St Edmunds for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), performance aligns with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

At GCSE level, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 42.9. Progress 8 is -0.1, which indicates slightly below average progress from pupils’ starting points across eight subjects. These two measures together suggest that the overall outcomes picture is steady rather than exceptional, with the more important question being how well the school matches a particular child’s learning profile and motivation across Years 7 to 11.

For families focused on an academic core, it is worth noting the school’s EBacc-related indicators. The average EBacc APS is 3.72, and 9.8% of pupils achieved grades 5 or above across EBacc measures. Whether that reflects entry patterns, cohort profile, or subject mix, it points to a school where parents should look closely at how languages, humanities and science are positioned in Key Stage 4 options, and how well their child will engage with that pathway.

Because this is an 11 to 16 school, there is no A-level results profile to consider here, and decisions should focus on the strength of Key Stage 3 foundations, Key Stage 4 teaching quality, and the clarity of post-16 guidance for the next step.

Parents comparing schools on FindMySchool can use the Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view these measures side-by-side with nearby secondaries, then sense-check the numbers against what they see in curriculum plans and options evenings.

The curriculum narrative is a strong point, largely because it is framed in practical teaching terms rather than vague ambition. The latest inspection describes a coherent curriculum that builds on prior learning and is supported by teachers’ strong subject knowledge.

A useful indicator for parents is the school’s stated emphasis on reading and vocabulary. The inspection evidence highlights explicit vocabulary teaching across subjects, plus identification and support for pupils who struggle with reading, so they can access written material more effectively. That combination tends to suit pupils who need structured literacy support in secondary, especially where subject teachers use consistent language routines rather than leaving reading support solely to English lessons.

The school also appears to take consistency seriously at a whole-staff level. The inspection record notes staff working together to share effective approaches, and it points to questioning as a development priority, with the implication that the best practice is present but not yet uniform across classrooms. The practical takeaway for parents is that lesson quality may vary more by department and teacher than in schools where pedagogy is tightly standardised.

Writing is another explicit development area. The inspection identifies a need for further opportunities for extended writing, so pupils develop confidence and independence in longer-form work. That matters for GCSE success across humanities and some vocational subjects, and it is also one of the clearest signals of what improvement work is likely to look like over the next cycle.

With an 11 to 16 model, the end point that matters most is how well students are guided into the right post-16 pathway rather than a single sixth form pipeline. The school’s careers programme materials place a strong emphasis on helping students understand routes into education and training, including colleges, apprenticeships and employment, and they reference structured encounters such as a careers fair and supported exploration of post-16 choices.

For parents, the key question is whether guidance is personalised enough for a child who is undecided, anxious about the jump, or strongly motivated by a particular pathway. The school’s published approach suggests it starts career thinking early, then intensifies in Key Stage 4, which typically helps students avoid a last-minute scramble in Year 11.

Families of students with additional needs may also look for how transitions are handled in practice. The school hosts a Deaf Resource Base and explains that admission to this specialist provision is through the local authority, with Education, Health and Care Plans reflecting the level of support required. For those students, post-16 planning often needs to begin earlier and be more detailed, so parents will want to ask how transition planning links education, travel, and the realities of local provision.

Admission is coordinated through Suffolk County Council for the normal Year 7 entry round. The key operational point is that the school applies a published oversubscription framework that prioritises children with Education, Health and Care Plans naming the school, then looked after and previously looked after children, then siblings, then catchment distance, and finally out-of-catchment distance. Distances are measured in a straight line method as set out by the local authority.

For September 2026 entry, Suffolk’s on-time application deadline was Friday 31 October 2025, with national offer day on Monday 2 March 2026 for secondary places. These dates matter because late applications are handled after on-time offers, which is often the difference between a realistic chance and a long waitlist scenario.

The published admission number for Year 7 is 240, which provides a concrete anchor for parents assessing the scale of competition. The school also describes itself as oversubscribed, which is a useful reality check for families who live outside catchment or are relying on distance criteria.

If you are considering a move specifically to be closer, use FindMySchoolMap Search to check your precise distance relative to catchment boundaries and typical allocation patterns. Even where distance is a criterion, it is rarely the whole story, because cohort patterns and sibling priority change year to year.

Open events are signposted through school communications and the school calendar, with recent communications showing an open evening pattern in early October. Dates and booking arrangements can change annually, so the school calendar is the most reliable source for the current cycle.

The wellbeing picture is shaped by a combination of culture, routines and explicit personal development content. The inspection evidence describes a culture of kindness and support, with pupils confident to be themselves and able to build good relationships with staff and peers.

Behaviour expectations appear to have been tightened recently, with clear routines such as lining up at the beginning of the day and restrictions on mobile phone use during lessons referenced in the same evidence base. For many pupils, especially those who are easily distracted, that sort of consistent structure makes learning time calmer and reduces day-to-day conflict.

The personal development programme also has a clear health focus. The inspection notes new arrangements for personal, social and health education, with a strong emphasis on mental and physical health, including teaching pupils how to manage stress. That is the kind of concrete content parents should ask about, for example how it is timetabled, who delivers it, and whether pupils can access additional support when stress becomes more persistent.

Safeguarding is a threshold issue for any family. The inspection states that safeguarding arrangements are effective, which is the minimum standard parents should expect, and it also suggests the school has put in place the systems and culture to respond promptly when pupils raise concerns.

Enrichment is not presented as an optional add-on but as a daily feature. Co-curricular activities are scheduled after the formal day, running from 3.35pm to 5pm, and the school frames this as a broad programme spanning creative, physical and study-focused clubs.

What matters for parents is specificity, because it indicates real staffing and pupil take-up. Examples of named activities and societies include Debate Club, Axiom Maths Club for Year 7, Creative Writing Club, and the Mary Wollstonecraft Society. For a student who needs an intellectual outlet beyond the timetable, those clubs can be the difference between simply coping and genuinely thriving.

Performing arts and music appear to be well-embedded. The inspection evidence references orchestra rehearsal, wind band, singing practice for a school production, and drama and music clubs as part of the broader activities picture. This suggests opportunities for both serious participants and students who want to try something new without a high barrier to entry.

There is also a practical academic support layer. The school publishes an after-school Study Club in the library from 3.35pm to 5pm Monday to Thursday, intended for pupils to complete homework tasks, with booking arrangements used for safeguarding and organisation. For families where home is busy, crowded, or simply not a good study environment, that supervised time can be very valuable.

Outdoor and character-building activity is present through Duke of Edinburgh, where the school describes a relationship with an expedition provider and highlights access support through the Duke of Edinburgh Resilience Fund. This is a good fit for students who enjoy practical challenge and will commit to an ongoing programme rather than a one-off trip.

The school day structure is published clearly. Pupils move to tutor groups at 8.50am with registration at 8.55am, and the formal day ends at 3.35pm, after which enrichment activities begin.

After-school provision in a secondary context is largely through enrichment and Study Club rather than wraparound childcare. The Study Club runs in the library from 3.35pm to 5pm Monday to Thursday. If you need regular, guaranteed childcare beyond that, it is worth asking directly what is available and whether places are capped.

Transport-wise, the school serves Bury St Edmunds and surrounding areas, and families should plan realistically for the journey, particularly if relying on distance-based admissions criteria or travelling in from outside the immediate catchment. The local authority’s travel policy and the school’s own travel information are the right places to confirm eligibility for funded transport and expectations around travel time.

• Consistency of classroom questioning: Effective questioning is identified as a priority because it is not yet consistent across lessons. For some pupils, this shows up as uneven challenge between subjects, so it is worth asking how teaching development is being implemented across departments.

• Extended writing needs attention: The inspection highlights a need for more opportunities for extended writing. Pupils who already find longer writing difficult may need extra scaffolding, particularly in Key Stage 4.

• Enrichment take-up is not uniform: The school offers a broad programme, but increasing participation, especially for disadvantaged pupils, is explicitly identified as an improvement focus. Families may want to ask how staff encourage quieter students into activities.

• Admissions depend on catchment and distance rules: The oversubscription criteria prioritise catchment then distance after higher priority categories. If you are outside catchment, you should treat admission as uncertain and plan alternatives in parallel.

This is a large, values-driven secondary that combines a clearly structured day with a wide subject offer and a strong emphasis on wellbeing, reading, and personal development. The recent inspection evidence supports an orderly culture with pupils feeling safe and behaviour improving under clearer expectations.

It suits students who benefit from routine, are open to joining clubs and societies, and will make steady progress in a school that prioritises consistent systems and broad participation. The main challenge for some families is admission, particularly where catchment and distance criteria are decisive, so shortlisting should be done with a realistic view of alternatives and travel.