Norfolk local authority: school places and applications
94% of families in Norfolk local authority were offered their first-choice secondary school for September 2026, against 84% across England. 94% got their first-choice primary (England: 92%). Norfolk local authority is responsible for 457 schools in East of England.
Reception applications and offers in Norfolk local authority
Families applying through Norfolk local authority for a primary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 7,482 | 94.4% | 92.4% | 98.5% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| September 2025 | 7,691 | 95.8% | 92.6% | 98.9% | 0.0% | 1.5% |
| September 2024 | 7,694 | 94.9% | 93.2% | 98.5% | 0.0% | 1.6% |
| September 2023 | 8,047 | 95.1% | 92.5% | 98.4% | 0.0% | 1.4% |
| September 2022 | 8,316 | 95.5% | 92.2% | 99.0% | 0.0% | 1.5% |
| September 2021 | 8,585 | 94.2% | 91.8% | 98.2% | 0.0% | 1.5% |
| September 2020 | 8,911 | 93.7% | 90.2% | 98.1% | 0.2% | 1.5% |
| September 2019 | 8,992 | 93.0% | 90.6% | 97.9% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
Year 7 applications and offers in Norfolk local authority
Families applying through Norfolk local authority for a secondary school place, by the September the children start. The council tells the DfE how many families were offered their first choice, one of their top three, or no school at all.
| Starting | Applications | First choice | England | One of top three | No offer | Offered a school in another council |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 8,625 | 94.1% | 83.6% | 98.2% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| September 2025 | 8,636 | 93.3% | 83.5% | 98.1% | 0.0% | 1.7% |
| September 2024 | 8,915 | 92.7% | 82.9% | 97.4% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| September 2023 | 9,181 | 91.7% | 82.6% | 96.5% | 0.1% | 1.4% |
| September 2022 | 9,132 | 93.7% | 83.3% | 97.9% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| September 2021 | 8,805 | 91.2% | 81.1% | 96.9% | 0.1% | 2.3% |
| September 2020 | 8,711 | 92.2% | 82.2% | 97.5% | 0.1% | 2.2% |
| September 2019 | 8,972 | 90.7% | 80.9% | 96.4% | 0.1% | 2.2% |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers. These are council-wide figures; how hard an individual school is to get into is on each school's page.
Primary schools in Norfolk local authority compared with England
| Norfolk | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded primary schools | 344 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 81% | 80% |
| Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard (%), average school (2025) | 56.2 | 63.2 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 5.3% | 5.2% |
Secondary schools in Norfolk local authority compared with England
| Norfolk | England average | |
|---|---|---|
| State-funded secondary schools | 51 | – |
| Rated Good or better by Ofsted | 73% | 72% |
| Attainment 8, average school (2026) | 45.0 | 47.3 |
| Sessions missed to absence (2024/25) | 9.1% | 8.6% |
Averages are across schools, not pupils, so every school counts equally. Ofsted shares use each school's latest published grade.
Expected primary pupil numbers in Norfolk local authority
Norfolk local authority expects primary numbers to fall by 8.3% between 2024/25 and 2029/30.
| School year | Primary pupils | Reception pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 61,142 | 7,886 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 60,515 | 7,906 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 59,474 | 7,646 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 58,370 | 7,354 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 56,990 | 7,277 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 56,096 | 7,599 |
Expected secondary pupil numbers in Norfolk local authority
Norfolk local authority expects secondary numbers to fall by 0.9% between 2024/25 and 2031/32.
| School year | Secondary pupils | Year 7 pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 (actual) | 50,411 | 9,341 |
| 2025/26 (forecast) | 50,857 | 9,054 |
| 2026/27 (forecast) | 51,552 | 9,227 |
| 2027/28 (forecast) | 51,720 | 9,242 |
| 2028/29 (forecast) | 51,578 | 9,136 |
| 2029/30 (forecast) | 51,174 | 8,953 |
| 2030/31 (forecast) | 50,855 | 8,761 |
| 2031/32 (forecast) | 49,968 | 8,433 |
Source: council forecasts submitted to the DfE school capacity survey (SCAP). Forecasts are estimates and are revised each year.
Schools by town in Norfolk local authority
Ranked schools, with Ofsted ratings and results, for each town in Norfolk local authority:
- Norwich 158 schools
- King'S Lynn And West Norfolk 83 schools
- South Norfolk 78 schools
- Breckland 72 schools
- North Norfolk 63 schools
- Broadland 59 schools
- King'S Lynn 54 schools
- Great Yarmouth 42 schools
- Norwich (North Norfolk) 25 schools
- Thetford 23 schools
- Dereham 18 schools
- Diss 14 schools
- Fakenham 11 schools
- Wymondham 10 schools
- Attleborough 8 schools
- Bungay 8 schools
- Cromer 8 schools
- Norwich (Breckland) 7 schools
- Swaffham 7 schools
- Downham Market 6 schools
- North Walsham 6 schools