Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School

Type Primary / Community school
Age Range 5-11
Religion Does not apply
Address Hillcrest
Bexwell Road
Downham Market
Norfolk
PE38 9ND
Phone 01366388191
Reference Number 121013

Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School is continuing to provide a good education for its pupils, characterized by a nurturing and supportive environment. Students are making good progress and displaying enthusiasm for their learning, particularly through the school’s unique curriculum that emphasizes reading and independent learning skills. The school's approach successfully integrates British values, promotes understanding of different faiths, and fosters a sense of community among students. Feedback from parents indicates high satisfaction with the school’s provision and support for their children. However, there are areas for improvement, particularly in subject depth and teacher confidence in certain subjects like languages and music. While the curriculum is broad and well-structured, inconsistencies in teachers' subject knowledge could impact students' deeper understanding in these areas. Overall, Hillcrest remains committed to refining its educational practices and ensuring all pupils achieve their full potential.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 411
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 54.26%
Girls: 45.74%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 19.7%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 10.5%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 27.9
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 28.8
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 27.3

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 34 20 54
2 32 28 60
3 31 29 60
4 34 25 59
5 33 27 60
6 35 24 59

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 83.2%
White, Other 8%
Mixed, Other 1.7%
Unclassified 1.5%
White & Asian 1%
Indian 0.5%
White & Black (African) 0.5%
Pakistani 0.5%
African 0.2%
Asian, Other 0.2%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 27 Jun 2023
Date Report
27 Jun 2023 School inspection
12 Nov 2020 Monitoring visit
16 Jan 2018 Short inspection
12 Sep 2013 Full inspection:
09 Jan 2012 Interim assessment
16 Sep 2008 Full inspection:
22 Nov 2006 Curriculum and development visit
01 Nov 2004 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Nurturing and welcoming school environment
  • Strong emphasis on reading and independent learning skills
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
  • Strong personal, social, health, and economic education programme
  • High levels of pupil engagement in community activities and clubs
  • Positive behaviour and high expectations established throughout the school

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent subject knowledge among some teachers in languages and music
  • Need for enhanced support and guidance for teachers to improve subject understanding

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 71%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 8%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 107
Maths 107

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading -1.4
Writing -1.5
Maths -0.3

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Sample

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 28 3
Third Preference 3 0
From another Local Authority 0 0

Previous Years

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Name Distance
Nelson Academy
Nursery Road, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 9PF
0.74 miles
Wimbotsham and Stow Academy
Chapel Lane, Wimbotsham, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3QH
1 miles
Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School
19 Ryston Road, Denver, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 0DP
1.17 miles
Hilgay Riverside Academy
Church Road, Hilgay, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 0JL
3.24 miles
Holy Cross Church of England Primary School
School Road, Runcton Holme, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 0EL
3.29 miles
Watlington Community Primary School
Rectory Lane, Watlington, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 0HU
4.52 miles
St Martin At Shouldham Church of England Primary Academy
Lynn Road, Shouldham, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 0BU
4.75 miles
Magdalen Academy
Park Crescent, Magdalen, Magdalen Academy, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3BU
4.87 miles
Name Distance
Downham Market Academy
Bexwell Road, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 9LL
0.18 miles
Orchard Manor School
The Old Rectory, Stow Bardolph, Nr King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 3HT
1.45 miles
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