Recreation Road Infant School

Recreation Road Infant School is performing well overall. It is an inclusive, caring school where pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well. Pupils achieve well across a broad and ambitious curriculum, behaviour is typically positive, and classrooms are calm and purposeful. Reading is a clear priority, with phonics taught from Reception and effective support for pupils who need to catch up. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is a notable strength, and attendance has improved steadily through effective work with families. The school also supports pupils' wider development well. Pupils take part in character-building experiences, leadership roles and community-focused activities, and early years provision is calm, engaging and effective in developing children's language and readiness for Year 1. Leaders are ambitious, staff feel well supported, and governors provide appropriate challenge and support. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first routine inspection since being exempt as outstanding; it has since federated with Avenue Junior School, with the headteacher working in an executive capacity across both schools. The main area for improvement is that, in some subjects, the school has not yet clearly identified the essential knowledge pupils should learn and when, which can make it harder for pupils to recall and build on prior learning.

Strengths

• Inclusive and caring school where pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well
• Pupils achieve well across a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum
• Behaviour is typically positive, with calm classrooms and rare disruption
• Reading is prioritised, with expert phonics teaching and effective interventions
• Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength, with early identification and effective support
• Attendance has steadily improved through effective support for families
• Personal development is strong, including character-building experiences and pupil leadership roles
• Early years provision is calm, engaging and supports vocabulary and readiness for Year 1
• Leaders are ambitious, manage staff workload and well-being, and staff feel supported
• Governors have the knowledge and expertise to challenge and support leaders
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, essential knowledge and when it should be taught are not clearly identified, so pupils can struggle to recall and build on prior learning
• Curriculum thinking in some subjects is not yet finalised

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Recreation Road Infant School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.8% of pupils at Recreation Road Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Recreation Road Infant School had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.6% of pupils at Recreation Road Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Recreation Road Infant School received £6,714 and spent £6,843 for each of its 328 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £88,000 (£270 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Norwich · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

What is Recreation Road Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Recreation Road Infant School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Recreation Road Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Recreation Road Infant School was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Recreation Road Infant School have?

Recreation Road Infant School has 328 pupils on roll.

What age range does Recreation Road Infant School cover?

Recreation Road Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Recreation Road Infant School?

Recreation Road Infant School is at Recreation Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 3PA.