Gaywood Primary School

Gaywood Primary School is performing well overall, demonstrating a strong educational standard with effective leadership and governance. The school has established a positive and safe environment, ensuring that safeguarding measures are met. Pupils progress appropriately through the curriculum from early years to Year 6, showing solid knowledge and skills across subjects. However, there is a recognized need for improvement in supporting greater numbers of pupils to achieve higher standards, particularly among disadvantaged students.

Strengths

• The school provides an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils make appropriate progress through a well-sequenced curriculum.
• Effective support is given to pupils with special educational needs and those eligible for pupil premium.
• Strong relationships between staff and pupils foster a positive learning environment.
• Behaviour across the school is well-managed and promotes a calm atmosphere for learning.
• A rich personal development program prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance, particularly amongst disadvantaged pupils, requires further improvement.
• Some opportunities for deeper pupil thinking and challenges in learning are missed.

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 Gaywood Primary School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.3% 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 Gaywood 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 Gaywood Primary School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.5% 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, 19.3% of pupils at Gaywood Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 2024–25 Gaywood Primary School received £5,911 and spent £5,798 for each of its 380 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £654,000 (£1,721 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

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

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

What is Gaywood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Gaywood Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Gaywood Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Gaywood Primary School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Gaywood Primary School have?

Gaywood Primary School has 353 pupils on roll.

What age range does Gaywood Primary School cover?

Gaywood Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Gaywood Primary School?

Gaywood Primary School is at Field Lane, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4AY.