Birchwood Primary School
Community primary school in Ipswich (Suffolk).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
On behalf of the children, staff, governors and whole school community we'd like to warmly welcome you to Birchwood Primary School. We are extremely proud of all that goes on at Birchwood. We value every child and ensure that we foster the individually of their interests and experiences. Our curriculum is carefully planned to enable us to teach in a creative and inspiring way.
We know this educational philosophy works well and is constantly adapting to the needs of all children in school because; Our vision statement underpins all that we do… we are,
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Key facts
- URN
- 124681
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Constituency
- Suffolk Coastal
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (15 current, 1 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Paul Hesketh | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2020 · until 2028 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Hugh Botterill | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Dawn Mathews | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr Daniel Clover | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Caroline Hetherington | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Michael Jude | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Alex Hosking | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Rebecca Coulson-Parker | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Andy Dallas | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Paul Firman | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Steve Cloke | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Philippa Wake | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2024 |
| Mrs Annie Tyler | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Peter Finch | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Chris Perry | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2020 · until 2028 |
| Mr Andrew Wilesmith Former | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2023 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record