Kenninghall Primary School

Kenninghall Primary School is a small village primary in the Enrich Learning Trust. Inspectors found it performing securely overall: inclusion and personal development and wellbeing are strong, while achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance are at the expected standard. Safeguarding is met. Pupils are safe, happy and behave well, and the school has a calm, inclusive ethos. The school’s notable strengths are its inclusive practice and support for pupils with SEND or additional challenges, strong pastoral and personal-development provision, and a wide programme of enrichment, trips and pupil leadership roles. Reading is a particular strength, phonics has improved, and early years gives children a nurturing, ambitious start. Leaders have a clear vision, are well supported by the trust, and have made decisive improvements to phonics, disadvantaged-pupil focus and curriculum consistency. The main development points concern consistency. Recently introduced curriculum changes in English and the wider curriculum are not yet fully embedded in all classes, and newer subject leadership, monitoring and quality assurance need further development. In early years, routines in some lessons, including phonics, are not consistently applied, which can limit how quickly misconceptions are spotted. Published outcomes for disadvantaged pupils also show gaps in reading and writing that the school should continue to address.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture ensures pupils with SEND and additional needs receive timely, well-matched support
• Staff know pupils well and respond quickly to emerging concerns
• Early years staff identify potential difficulties at an early stage
• Regular training helps staff adapt learning for pupils with a range of needs
• Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers
• Strong pastoral and bespoke social and emotional support for pupils facing barriers
• Carefully organised PSHE curriculum builds pupils' knowledge for life beyond school
• Pupils take on responsibilities including prefects, house captains and sports captains
• Extensive programme of clubs, trips, enrichment activities and community events
• Reading outcomes have remained above national figures in recent years
• Phonics outcomes have improved considerably
• Pupils build secure knowledge and skills across the curriculum
• Pupils attend regularly and attendance is broadly in line with national figures
• Pupils behave well, bullying is rare and classrooms are calm
• Well-sequenced curriculum with positive impact in geography, history and writing
• Early years provision is nurturing, ambitious and gives children a positive start
• Leaders have a clear vision and have acted decisively to strengthen key areas
• Trust provides appropriate challenge and support, and governance fulfils statutory duties

Areas for Improvement

• Recently introduced curriculum developments in English and the wider curriculum are not implemented consistently across all classes
• Subject leadership, monitoring and quality assurance are at an earlier stage of development
• Curriculum expectations are not yet implemented consistently across all subjects
• Early years lesson routines, including phonics, are not consistently embedded
• In a small number of early years sessions, inconsistencies limit staff's ability to identify and address misconceptions
• Some teaching does not consistently reflect leaders' intended approach, limiting opportunities to deepen pupils' understanding
• Published outcomes for disadvantaged pupils show gaps in reading, writing and combined reading, writing and mathematics

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 Kenninghall Primary School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.6% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Kenninghall 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 Kenninghall Primary School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.0% 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, 9.6% of pupils at Kenninghall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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 Kenninghall Primary School received £5,991 and spent £6,772 for each of its 105 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £8,000 (£77 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Enrich Learning Trust, income was £7,395 and spending £7,499 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

Kenninghall Primary School is part of Enrich Learning Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• Diss High School Diss
• Spooner Row Primary School Wymondham
• Long Stratton High School Norwich
• Wymondham High Academy Wymondham
• Dereham Neatherd High School Dereham
• Taverham High School Norwich
• Millfield Primary School North Walsham
• North Walsham High School North Walsham

What is Kenninghall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Kenninghall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Kenninghall Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Kenninghall Primary School have?

Kenninghall Primary School has 104 pupils on roll.

What age range does Kenninghall Primary School cover?

Kenninghall Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Kenninghall Primary School?

Kenninghall Primary School is at School Close, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2EJ.