Downham Market Academy

Downham Market Academy has demonstrated considerable improvement since its previous state, gaining a 'Good' rating across all inspection domains in its first inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Pupils report feeling safe, happy, and well-supported by teachers, who effectively plan lessons that foster enthusiastic participation. The school offers a broad and ambitious curriculum, ensuring that teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and provide tailored support, particularly for those with special educational needs. The leadership, backed by the Eastern Learning Alliance Trust, has effectively fostered an environment where positive behaviors are nurtured, and bullying is promptly addressed.

Strengths

• Teachers have strong subject knowledge.
• Leaders have implemented an ambitious and broad curriculum.
• Pupils feel safe, secure, and supported.
• Behaviour is generally good, with effective management of bullying.
• The school has a strong emphasis on reading and provides effective support for pupils who struggle.
• Extra-curricular activities are well-engaged by pupils.
• Careers education meets required standards.

Areas for Improvement

• Some parents feel less informed about school life due to limited communication during the pandemic.
• Students in the sixth form have had limited opportunities to contribute to the school community.

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 Downham Market Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 6.4% of pupils at Downham Market Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 4 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 Downham Market Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 26.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 15.4% of pupils at Downham Market Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Downham Market Academy received £7,567 and spent £7,618 for each of its 1,335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £49,000 (£37 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Eastern Learning Alliance, income was £9,220 and spending £9,179 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 Downham Market · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Downham Market Academy is part of Eastern Learning Alliance, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Vista Academy Littleport Ely
• Witchford Village College Ely
• Impington Village College Cambridge
• The Cavendish School Impington
• Girton Glebe Primary School Cambridge
• Chesterton Community College Cambridge
• Cambridge Maths School Cambridge

What is Downham Market Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Downham Market Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2022.

When was Downham Market Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Downham Market Academy was last inspected in June 2022.

How many pupils does Downham Market Academy have?

Downham Market Academy has 1,329 pupils on roll.

What age range does Downham Market Academy cover?

Downham Market Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Downham Market Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.5, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Downham Market Academy?

Downham Market Academy is at Bexwell Road, Downham Market, Norfolk, PE38 9LL.