King's Oak Academy

King's Oak Academy is a small infant and nursery school within the Unity Education Trust, and this inspection found it has improved substantially since its previous inadequate judgement. Pupils now benefit from a well-designed curriculum, strong reading teaching, effective support for pupils with SEND, and a caring environment where adults know individual needs well. Behaviour has been transformed, attendance has improved markedly, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school no longer requires special measures. The early years provision has also improved significantly, with children settling quickly and becoming more independent. Personal development is a clear strength, offering pupils wider experiences, healthy relationships education, and celebration of differences. Leadership, including trust oversight, is effective and staff feel well supported. There are still areas to address. The new approach to writing has not yet had full impact, and some pupils have gaps in letter formation and spelling. In early years, some adults do not extend children's vocabulary well enough. Occasionally, low-level disruption occurs because staff do not consistently intervene quickly enough to keep pupils focused.

Strengths

• Well-designed curriculum with clear knowledge sequences across subjects
• Teachers check understanding carefully and address emerging knowledge gaps
• Pupils with SEND learn well through well-trained, sensible adaptations
• High-quality reading teaching helps pupils read fluently and confidently
• Behaviour culture has been transformed and pupils generally behave well
• Effective personal development programme broadens pupils' experiences
• Early years provision has improved significantly and children settle quickly
• Attendance has improved markedly and pupils now attend regularly
• Trustees and trust leaders provide effective support and challenge
• Strong support for staff workload and well-being
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• The new writing approach is not yet fully effective; some pupils have gaps in letter formation and spelling
• In early years, some adults do not extend children's vocabulary effectively enough
• Occasional low-level disruption occurs because staff do not always intervene quickly enough
• High expectations for behaviour are not implemented consistently in all lessons

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 King's Oak Academy attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.4% 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, 5.6% of pupils at King's Oak 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 King's Oak Academy had 17.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 51.4% 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, 31.6% of pupils at King's Oak Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% 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 King's Oak Academy received £11,289 and spent £11,589 for each of its 86 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £221,000 (£2,586 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Unity Education Trust, income was £9,934 and spending £10,116 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

King's Oak Academy is part of Unity Education Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Churchill Park Complex Needs School King'S Lynn
• Highgate Infant School King'S Lynn
• Greyfriars Academy Kings Lynn
• St Germans Academy King'S Lynn
• Magdalen Academy King'S Lynn
• Wimbotsham and Stow Academy King'S Lynn
• Beeston Primary School King'S Lynn
• Northgate High School Dereham
• Grove House Infant and Nursery School Dereham
• King's Park Infant School, Dereham Dereham

What is King's Oak Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for King's Oak Academy is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was King's Oak Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

King's Oak Academy was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does King's Oak Academy have?

King's Oak Academy has 79 pupils on roll.

What age range does King's Oak Academy cover?

King's Oak Academy for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is King's Oak Academy?

King's Oak Academy is at Parkway, Gaywood, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4QJ.