Clenchwarton Primary School

Clenchwarton Primary is an inclusive, welcoming school that is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Inspectors found pupils achieve well across the curriculum, behaviour is good, and personal development is outstanding. The school also has outstanding early years provision, where children get a strong start and achieve exceptionally well. Reading is a priority and pupils typically become fluent, confident readers. The curriculum is well considered and teaching is consistent, with staff checking understanding and addressing difficulties. Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum content as their peers and make strong progress. The school is part of the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and leadership works across this school and two others in the trust. This was a graded inspection under section 5; schools inspected from September 2024 are not given an overall effectiveness grade. The main area for improvement is writing. Beyond early years, the school has not set clear enough expectations for writing across the curriculum, and letter formation and transcription skills have not been prioritised sufficiently. As a result, some pupils do not develop their ability to write accurately and at length, which limits how well they can communicate their learning through writing in different subjects. Otherwise, the report highlights strong governance, effective support for staff professional development, positive parental views, and a calm, purposeful school environment with warm relationships.

Strengths

• Inclusive and welcoming school that is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND
• Pupils achieve well across the curriculum
• Outstanding early years provision gives children an excellent start
• Curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced from early years onwards
• Reading is a priority and pupils typically become fluent, confident readers
• Teaching is clear and consistent, with effective checks on pupils' understanding
• Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum content and make strong progress
• Behaviour and attitudes are good, with clear routines and respectful relationships
• Personal development is exceptional, with a wide range of clubs and leadership opportunities
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of equality, diversity and safety
• Governance is effective and staff value professional development
• Parents speak positively about the school's warm and welcoming ethos

Areas for Improvement

• Writing is not as well developed as reading beyond early years
• The school does not set clear enough expectations for writing across the curriculum
• Letter formation and transcription skills have not been prioritised sufficiently
• Some pupils cannot write accurately and at length for their age
• Some pupils are limited in communicating their learning through writing across subjects

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 Clenchwarton Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.2% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Clenchwarton 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 Clenchwarton Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 15.6% of pupils at Clenchwarton Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Clenchwarton Primary School received £6,132 and spent £7,212 for each of its 199 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £127,000 (£637 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of West Norfolk Academies Trust, income was £7,493 and spending £7,462 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 · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Clenchwarton Primary School is part of West Norfolk Academies Trust, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• West Lynn Primary School King'S Lynn
• St Clement's High School King'S Lynn
• Gaywood Primary School King'S Lynn
• Springwood High School King'S Lynn
• Walpole Cross Keys Primary School King'S Lynn
• Marshland High School Wisbech
• Snettisham Primary School King'S Lynn
• Heacham Junior School King'S Lynn
• Heacham Infant and Nursery School King'S Lynn
• Smithdon High School Hunstanton

What is Clenchwarton Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Clenchwarton Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Clenchwarton Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Clenchwarton Primary School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Clenchwarton Primary School have?

Clenchwarton Primary School has 205 pupils on roll.

What age range does Clenchwarton Primary School cover?

Clenchwarton Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Clenchwarton Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Clenchwarton Primary School?

Clenchwarton Primary School is at 139 Main Road, Clenchwarton, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE34 4DT.