Queensway Infant Academy

Queensway Infant Academy is a small infant school in Thetford, part of the Inspiration Trust, serving a community with well above average deprivation and a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and SEN support. Following a full section 5 inspection, safeguarding standards were met and the school was judged to be performing at the expected standard overall, with personal development and wellbeing identified as a strong standard. The school's personal development and wellbeing offer is a clear strength, with a coherent programme, highly effective pastoral support, wide enrichment opportunities, and pupils who develop strong social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding. Pupils achieve well from their varied starting points, early reading and mathematics are prioritised, handwriting is a particular strength, and attendance and behaviour have improved. Inclusion is effective for pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, and leaders work well with the trust and governance. However, high-quality teaching is not consistently embedded across all classes, which limits some pupils' opportunities to extend their learning and deepen their knowledge. The curriculum also needs further adaptation across subjects, and in the early years staff interactions vary in quality, with work to deepen speech, language and vocabulary still at an early stage. Attendance and persistent absence, while improved, have been above national averages in recent years and remain areas to monitor.

Strengths

• Personal development and wellbeing is a strength, with a coherent and well-integrated programme adapted to the school's context.
• Pastoral support is highly effective, with early identification of needs and strategies to help pupils regulate emotions.
• Pupils develop deep social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding and a secure grasp of fundamental British values.
• A wide range of enrichment opportunities is available, and leaders monitor participation to ensure all pupils can access them.
• Pupils achieve well from their starting points, with phonics outcomes close to the national average over time.
• Handwriting is a particular strength, with pupils learning a neat cursive script from the early years.
• Behaviour is well managed, with clear expectations, calm routines, and positive relationships between staff and pupils.
• Attendance has improved through determined leadership actions, with overall absence and persistent absence broadly in line with national averages.
• Early reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, and targeted support helps pupils catch up quickly.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils access the curriculum successfully and receive effective, well-coordinated support.
• Leaders have a clear understanding of strengths and priorities, and the trust and governance provide effective challenge and support.
• High-quality professional development is a priority, and staff feel well supported with manageable workload.

Areas for Improvement

• High-quality teaching is not consistently embedded across all classes, so some pupils do not have sufficient opportunity to extend their learning and deepen their knowledge.
• The curriculum is not yet adapted effectively in all subjects to ensure all pupils can extend their learning and deepen their understanding.
• Staff interactions with children in the early years vary in quality, and work to embed and deepen speech, language and vocabulary is not yet fully realised.
• Attendance and persistent absence, while improved, have been above national averages in recent years and remain an area to monitor.

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 Queensway Infant Academy attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.3% 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, 5.4% of pupils at Queensway Infant Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Queensway Infant Academy had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.9% 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, 46.5% of pupils at Queensway Infant Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Queensway Infant Academy received £9,969 and spent £9,245 for each of its 108 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £44,000 (£405 per pupil).

Across all 18 schools of Inspiration Trust, income was £8,318 and spending £8,382 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 Thetford · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Queensway Infant Academy is part of Inspiration Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• Queensway Junior Academy Thetford
• The Thetford Academy Thetford
• Wayland Academy Thetford
• Hethersett Academy Norwich
• Cringleford Prep Cringleford
• Norwich Primary Academy Norwich
• Hewett Academy Norwich
• Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form Free School Norwich
• King Edward VII Academy King'S Lynn
• Jane Austen College Norwich

What is Queensway Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Queensway Infant Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Queensway Infant Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Queensway Infant Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Queensway Infant Academy have?

Queensway Infant Academy has 101 pupils on roll.

What age range does Queensway Infant Academy cover?

Queensway Infant Academy for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Queensway Infant Academy?

Queensway Infant Academy is at Queensway, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 3DR.