Cawston Church of England Primary Academy

Cawston Church of England Primary Academy is a peaceful and welcoming school where pupils behave well, feel supported and learn in a calm environment. Inspectors found the curriculum broad, ambitious and well sequenced, with strong early reading, effective support for pupils with SEND, a language-rich Reception Year and a thoughtful personal development programme. Leadership is focused on improvement, and support and challenge from the federation and trust are effective. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is an academy converter within the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust and the Eden Federation. The main area for development is writing. Recent improvements to the teaching of writing, including handwriting, are not yet fully embedded, and some older pupils have gaps in spelling, punctuation and handwriting that lead to errors in a small number of pupils' written work.

Strengths

• Broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum
• Skilled and enthusiastic teaching with strong subject knowledge
• Effective early reading provision with consistent teaching and targeted catch-up support
• Strong support for pupils with SEND, including expert training and careful classroom adaptations
• Language-rich Reception provision that develops communication, confidence and independence
• Pupils behave well and are keen to learn
• Warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils
• Thoughtful personal development programme with leadership roles, conservation and cultural awareness
• Strong community links and enriching trips and activities
• Effective leadership with useful challenge and support from trust leaders and governors
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Good attendance supported by close work with parents

Areas for Improvement

• Recent improvements to the teaching of writing are not yet fully embedded
• Some older pupils have gaps in spelling, punctuation and handwriting, leading to errors in a small number of pupils' written work

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 Cawston Church of England Primary Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.8% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Cawston 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 Cawston Church of England Primary Academy had 23.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 31.4% 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, 17.9% of pupils at Cawston Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 2022–23 Cawston Church of England Primary Academy received £6,043 and spent £6,807 for each of its 157 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £6,000 (£36 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, income was £7,929 and spending £8,559 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 Norwich · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

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

• Great Witchingham Church of England Primary Academy Norwich
• Lyng Church of England Primary Academy Norwich
• Hockering Church of England Primary Academy Dereham
• St Peter's CofE Primary Academy, Easton Norwich
• North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery Dereham
• All Saints Stibbard Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery Fakenham
• Yaxham Church of England Primary Academy Dereham
• The Open Academy Norwich
• Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy Dereham
• Dereham Church of England Junior Academy Dereham

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Cawston Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

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

Cawston Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

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

Cawston Church of England Primary Academy has 123 pupils on roll.

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

Cawston Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Cawston Church of England Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Cawston Church of England Primary Academy?

Cawston Church of England Primary Academy is at Aylsham Road, Cawston, Norwich, Norfolk, NR10 4AY.