Bluebell Primary School

Norwich · NR4 7DS

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 201 pupils, 53.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted and results

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 10.4% on SEN support Behaviour 7.0% absence rate Staff 10.6% turnover Financials £10,190 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Bluebell Primary School

General Information

Address: Lovelace Road, Norwich, NR4 7DS – View on map
Phone: 01603452196
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Helen Plowman
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 19 families put it first for 22 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

201 pupils out of 210 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 100
% eligible for free school meals: 53.5%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (similar to the Norwich average)
English as an additional language: 29% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10.6% a year (Norwich 17%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 85% moved to another school, 15% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Norfolk: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 26 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 12 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 5 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Norfolk (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 18.9%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

Resourced provision for Autism 10 places · 10 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 14.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 3 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 1 pupil
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 10 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 4 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2025 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 56% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Norwich average (58%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 48% against an expected 56%)
3-year average (expected standard): 48%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 78% · Writing 56% · Maths 63% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 59%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 102
Based on: 32 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolNorwich averageEngland↗ Improving Up 10 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Norwich average (58%).

Year 6 SATs: 15th of 25 junior and primary schools in the area

=13Bignold Primary School and Nursery57%
=13Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery57%
#15Bluebell Primary School56%
#16Catton Grove Primary School54%
#17Heartsease Primary Academy51%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Charles Darwin Primary School81%
#2Eaton Primary School72%
#3St Michael's VA Junior School69%
#4Angel Road Junior School68%
=5Mile Cross Primary School67%
=5Valley Primary Academy67%
=7Colman Junior School65%
=7St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School65%
=7Wensum Junior School65%
#10Magdalen Gates Primary School62%
=11Avenue Junior School61%
=11Henderson Green Primary Academy61%
=13Bignold Primary School and Nursery57%
=13Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery57%
#15Bluebell Primary School56%
#16Catton Grove Primary School54%
#17Heartsease Primary Academy51%
#18George White Junior School50%
#19Norwich Primary Academy49%
=20St. Clements Hill Primary Academy46%
=20The Free School Norwich46%
=22Lakenham Primary School45%
=22Lionwood Junior School45%
#24Tuckswood Academy43%
#25West Earlham Junior School38%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £10,190 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

1st of 17 primary schools in Norwich for spending per pupil

#1Bluebell Primary School£10,190
#2Henderson Green Primary Academy£9,377
#3Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery£9,151

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Bluebell Primary School£10,190
#2Henderson Green Primary Academy£9,377
#3Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery£9,151
#4Valley Primary Academy£8,784
#5Mile Cross Primary School£8,252
#6Heartsease Primary Academy£7,760
#7Tuckswood Academy£7,691
#8The Free School Norwich£7,649
#9Norwich Primary Academy£7,545
#10Catton Grove Primary School£7,247
#11Magdalen Gates Primary School£7,242
#12Lakenham Primary School£7,224
#13St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School£6,915
#14Charles Darwin Primary School£6,749
#15Bignold Primary School and Nursery£6,603
#16St. Clements Hill Primary Academy£6,112
#17Eaton Primary School£5,977

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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