School Chooser

Caister Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil324 pupilsGreat YarmouthNorfolk
School Chooser Score
58
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 40 to 73
Out of 100. Better than 83% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2024
Reached the expected level at 1171%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families33%A bit more than most schools
Places36 spare324 pupils, 360 places
Pupils per teacher18.6School workforce census

Caister Junior School is a council school in Great Yarmouth for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 324 pupils and room for 360. About 33 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 83% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Caister Junior School, Kingston Avenue, Caister-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, NR30 5ET01493 728223c2cfed.org/juniorMrs Gemma Smith head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 10 July 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

87 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1171%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level5%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 65%65%20172018: 56%56%20182019: 70%70%20192023: 61%61%20232024: 63%63%20242025: 71%71%2025
Since 2017: +6%Improving overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NorfolkEngland
Pupils tested878390929080
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths71%63%61%70%56%65%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths5%2%0%10%4%5%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0105.0104.0106.0103.0104.0104.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0106.0106.0106.0103.0105.0103.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0104.0104.0104.0103.0105.0103.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard82%75%78%86%72%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard89%76%84%91%72%78%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)74%73%74%80%91%90%
Reading progressReading progress score-1.6-0.7-2.9-0.8
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.7-0.4-2.0-0.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged64%43%52%48%52%48%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged74%74%66%76%58%76%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
64%74%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
69%73%
Gap 4 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%5%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

A few spare places330 pupils for 360 places, 2024/25
92% full

About 30 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Norfolk council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll324Census January 2026
Places36090% full
Pupils from low-income families33%33% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support30%96 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%16 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.310 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)36%£181,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls162 / 162
White British pupils88%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (49), emotional and mental health (29), language and communications needs (29), Physical disability (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll324332327335341346
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals33%31%34%34%31%30%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%5%6%4%5%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support26%20%19%23%26%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%4%6%5%5%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils3.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%5.7%6.3%6.7%4.4%4.0%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.4%3.9%5.0%2.9%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.2%2.4%2.3%1.7%1.5%1.3%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.8%14.6%14.1%16.2%11.7%6.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate3.62.13.05.02.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00010

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers17.4full-time equivalent, 21 people
Pupils per teacher18.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers91%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,601
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.42024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,072England £7,738. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£7,811England £7,697. Total £2.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,524England £3,480
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£28k, -£84 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£86kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,072spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m17112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate54 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£221,750Great Yarmouth

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Caister Infant With Nursery SchoolCouncil0 m287Report card 202617Compare
North Denes Primary School and NurseryCouncil1.5 miles381Good 202324Compare
Northgate Primary SchoolAcademy2.2 miles425No overall grade 202417Compare
Ormesby Village Junior SchoolCouncil2.5 miles114No overall grade 202466Compare
Ormesby Village Infant SchoolCouncil2.6 miles82Good 202241Compare
St Nicholas Priory CofE VA Primary School and NurseryChurch of England2.7 miles418Good 202444Compare
Visiting Teacher Service East at Education Services CentreMiscellaneous2.8 milesNot inspectedCompare
Cobholm Primary AcademyAcademy2.9 miles189Report card 202634Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Caister Junior School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats83%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 58 is 17 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 41 · highest 85100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 58 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 58% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 40 to 73. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.01
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 87 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.08
DfE progress measure; 87 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.09
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.00
2024/25; 340 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%above
+0.06
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 87 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Caister Junior School a good school?

It is about average. Caister Junior School scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 83% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 40 to 73, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been getting better over the last five years.

What is Caister Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Caister Junior School good at its last full inspection on 10 July 2024.

How good are Caister Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 71% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Caister Junior School have?

324 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 360 places, so it is 90% full.

Is Caister Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (8% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Caister Junior School?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Caister Junior School?

The average class had 22.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Caister Junior School, Kingston Avenue, Caister-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, NR30 5ET
Telephone
01493 728223
Website
c2cfed.org/junior
Head Teacher
Mrs Gemma Smith
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
Caister South
Constituency
Great Yarmouth
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
120795 · LAESTAB 9262033 · UKPRN 10079016

Where these figures come from