Norwich Road Academy
General Information
- Address: Norwich Road, Thetford, IP24 2HT – View on map
- Phone: 01842753279
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Julia Miles
- Age range: 3-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 27 families put it first for 28 places – 10 for every 10 places. 96% 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 8 · 2024 9 · 2025 8 · 2026 10
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: None
- Nursery provision: Yes
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 88
- % eligible for free school meals: 28.7%
- Pupil mix: 7 in 10 (more mixed than the Breckland average)
- English as an additional language: 51% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 21.9% a year (Breckland 20%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 46% moved to another school, 54% 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
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: 6.1%
- Persistently absent pupils: 15.1%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 21.5%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 8.2%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Moderate learning difficulty: 25 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 19 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 18 pupils
- Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
- Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
- Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
No overall grade given 2024 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 58% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 7 percentage points above the Breckland average (51%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 58% against an expected 58%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 58%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 72% · Writing 72% · Maths 72% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 74%
- Average test scores: reading 103, maths 103
- Based on: 43 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
Year 6 SATs: joint 15th of 43 junior and primary schools in the area
- =15Garboldisham Church of England Primary Academy58%
- =15Necton VA Primary School58%
- =15Norwich Road Academy58%
- =19Admirals Academy57%
- =19Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School57%
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £6,968 (2024-25)
20th of 34 primary schools in Breckland for spending per pupil
- #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
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)