Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy continues to perform well and remains a good school. Pupils demonstrate high levels of happiness and respectful interactions within a well-structured mixed-age learning environment. The school fosters strong relationships between peers and adults, promoting positive behaviour and a keen desire to learn among students. An ambitious curriculum tailored to the local community ensures that pupils develop academically, socially, and emotionally, contributing to their overall well-rounded development.

Strengths

• Pupils are extremely happy and demonstrate excellent relationships with peers and adults.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-designed to meet diverse pupil needs.
• Teachers are skilled at delivering lessons that deepen knowledge and understanding.
• High expectations for behaviour create a conducive learning environment.
• Strong emphasis on personal development with engaging extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Support plans for pupils with SEND are sometimes too broad and lack clear targets.

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 Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.1% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy 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 Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 63.5% 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, 10.7% of pupils at Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy received £37,580 and spent £34,235 for each of its 49 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £11,000 (£218 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, income was £11,069 and spending £10,622 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 Breckland · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy is part of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Swaffham CofE Primary Academy Swaffham
• Mundford Church of England Primary Academy Thetford
• Narborough Church of England Primary Academy King'S Lynn
• Sporle Church of England Primary Academy King'S Lynn
• Parker's Church of England Primary Academy Thetford
• Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy King'S Lynn
• St Matthew's Church of England Primary Academy King'S Lynn
• St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery Thetford
• Caston Church of England Primary Academy Attleborough
• Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy Thetford

What is Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy have?

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy has 56 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy cover?

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy?

Gooderstone Church of England Primary Academy is at The Street, Gooderstone, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE33 9BP.