Drake Primary School

Breckland · IP24 1JW

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 413 pupils, 12.3% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 13.1% on SEN support Behaviour 5.6% absence rate Staff 19.3% turnover Financials £9,391 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Drake Primary School

General Information

Address: Fairfields, Croxton Road, Thetford, IP24 1JW – View on map
Phone: 01842762055
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Miss Louise Clements McLeod
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 68 families put it first for 59 places – 12 for every 10 places. 85% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 13 · 2024 13 · 2025 9 · 2026 12
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

413 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 51
% eligible for free school meals: 12.3%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Breckland average)
English as an additional language: 23% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 19.3% a year (Breckland 20%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 65% moved to another school, 35% 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: 5.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 11.8%
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 16 places · 16 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: 13.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 8.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 29 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 9 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 5 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 19 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 10 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil

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

Ofsted report card March 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard
Early years Strong standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2021). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 40% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 0% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 11 percentage points below the Breckland average (51%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 45% against an expected 68%)
3-year average (expected standard): 45%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 72% · Writing 52% · Maths 52% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 47%
Average test scores: reading 103, maths 100
Based on: 58 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 schoolBreckland averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 11 percentage points below the Breckland average (51%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 32nd of 43 junior and primary schools in the area

#30Narborough Church of England Primary Academy44%
#31Swaffham CofE Primary Academy41%
=32Drake Primary School40%
=32East Harling Primary School and Nursery40%
=34Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School38%

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

#1Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy96%
#2Lyng Church of England Primary Academy81%
#3Rocklands Community Primary School79%
#4Yaxham Church of England Primary Academy76%
=5Garvestone Community Primary School70%
=5Redcastle Family School70%
#7Great Ellingham Primary School68%
#8Hockering Church of England Primary Academy67%
=9Great Hockham Primary School and Nursery65%
=9Old Buckenham Primary School65%
=11Kenninghall Primary School63%
=11Litcham School63%
#13Mundford Church of England Primary Academy60%
#14Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior School59%
=15Brisley Church of England Primary Academy58%
=15Garboldisham Church of England Primary Academy58%
=15Necton VA Primary School58%
=15Norwich Road Academy58%
=19Admirals Academy57%
=19Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School57%
=19Thompson Primary School57%
#22Dereham Church of England Junior Academy54%
=23Ashill Voluntary Controlled Primary School53%
=23Banham Primary School53%
#25St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery52%
#26Queensway Junior Academy51%
#27Colkirk Church of England Primary Academy50%
#28Weeting Church of England Primary School47%
#29Mattishall Primary School45%
#30Narborough Church of England Primary Academy44%
#31Swaffham CofE Primary Academy41%
=32Drake Primary School40%
=32East Harling Primary School and Nursery40%
=34Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School38%
=34Sporle Church of England Primary Academy38%
#36North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery33%
#37Watton Junior School31%
#38St Mary's Community Primary School, Beetley28%
#39The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy27%
#40Parker's Church of England Primary Academy25%
#41Swanton Morley VC Primary School21%
#42Bawdeswell Community Primary School18%
#43Swaffham Meadow Primary School0%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £9,391 (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.

8th of 34 primary schools in Breckland for spending per pupil

#6Swaffham Meadow Primary School£10,337
#7Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy£9,651
#8Drake Primary School£9,391
#9Garvestone Community Primary School£8,847
#10Redcastle Family School£8,781

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

#1Hockering Church of England Primary Academy£93,387
#2Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy£33,526
#3Colkirk Church of England Primary Academy£24,063
#4Narborough Church of England Primary Academy£21,476
#5Caston Church of England Primary Academy£17,603
#6Swaffham Meadow Primary School£10,337
#7Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy£9,651
#8Drake Primary School£9,391
#9Garvestone Community Primary School£8,847
#10Redcastle Family School£8,781
#11Beeston Primary School£8,200
#12Thompson Primary School£7,747
#13Ashill Voluntary Controlled Primary School£7,647
#14Bawdeswell Community Primary School£7,300
#15The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy£7,290
#16Swaffham CofE Primary Academy£7,215
#17St Mary's Community Primary School, Beetley£7,065
#18Yaxham Church of England Primary Academy£7,040
#19Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School£7,035
#20Norwich Road Academy£6,968
#21Swanton Morley VC Primary School£6,858
#22Banham Primary School£6,776
#23Mattishall Primary School£6,744
#24East Harling Primary School and Nursery£6,663
#25Necton VA Primary School£6,429
#26St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery£6,421
#27Great Hockham Primary School and Nursery£6,364
#28Kenninghall Primary School£6,362
#29Great Ellingham Primary School£6,339
#30Weeting Church of England Primary School£6,326
#31Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School£6,221
#32Old Buckenham Primary School£6,189
#33Attleborough Primary School£2,562
#34Rosecroft Primary School£2,536

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

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