Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School is a small, caring primary school that has moved forward from its previous 'requires improvement' judgement and is now performing well across the board. Pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well, and they benefit from warm relationships with staff. The curriculum is ambitious and well ordered, staff have high expectations, and pupils achieve well. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is part of The Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust, has had significant staff changes since the previous inspection, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. There are notable strengths in reading, support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), attendance work and enrichment. Reading is a high priority and phonics is taught consistently from Reception, while pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well. Leaders monitor attendance closely and work with families and agencies to improve it. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of experiences and community links, and staff value the trust's support and professional development. The main areas for improvement concern consistency in teaching. In some subjects, teachers lack secure subject knowledge, which means learning is not always presented clearly or checked well enough, leaving some pupils with gaps in their knowledge. Some staff also lack the knowledge to teach early reading as leaders expect, and in some early years areas staff do not develop children's vocabulary sufficiently well, which limits the depth of knowledge children take into Year 1.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and have warm, positive relationships with staff and peers.
• Pupils behave well and encourage others to be ready, safe and respectful.
• The curriculum is well ordered, ambitious and builds on prior learning.
• Staff have high expectations and pupils achieve well.
• Reading is a high priority, with a well-established curriculum and consistent phonics teaching from Reception.
• Pupils who need extra help with reading are identified quickly and supported to become confident readers.
• Support for pupils with SEND is well established, with quick identification and bespoke support.
• Attendance is monitored closely and improves quickly through work with families and external agencies.
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities and community links.
• The trust supports the school well, and staff value professional development opportunities.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers lack secure subject knowledge, so learning is not presented clearly or checked well enough.
• Some pupils find it difficult to remember their learning and have gaps in their knowledge because teaching is not consistently effective.
• Some staff do not have the knowledge to teach the early reading curriculum as leaders expect.
• In some early years areas, staff do not develop children's vocabulary in line with curriculum expectations, limiting children's depth of knowledge for Year 1.

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 Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.6% 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, 9.4% of pupils at Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary 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 Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School had 17.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.2% 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, 19.8% of pupils at Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.8% 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 2024–25 Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School received £7,941 and spent £7,659 for each of its 85 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £0 (£0 per pupil).

Across all 38 schools of Grace Schools, income was £7,113 and spending £6,207 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in King'S Lynn And West Norfolk · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School is part of Grace Schools, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• The Norman Church of England Primary School, Northwold Thetford
• All Saints Academy King'S Lynn
• Weeting Church of England Primary School Brandon
• Hilgay Riverside Academy Downham Market
• St Martin At Shouldham Church of England Primary Academy King'S Lynn
• Holy Cross Church of England Primary School King'S Lynn
• Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School Ely
• St Christopher's CEVCP School Bury St Edmunds
• Marshland St James Primary and Nursery School Wisbech
• St Andrew's CofE Primary School Ely

What is Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School have?

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School has 91 pupils on roll.

What age range does Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School cover?

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School?

Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School is at Hythe Road, Methwold, Thetford, Norfolk, IP26 4PP.