School Chooser

Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy

Primary · ages 5-11MixedAcademyChurch of England86 pupilsKing's LynnNorfolk
School Chooser Score
5
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 16
Out of 100. Better than 15% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Reached the expected level at 1133%England 63%
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families35%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull86 pupils, 77 places
Pupils per teacher18.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll86Census January 2026

Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in King's Lynn for boys and girls aged 5 to 11. It has 86 pupils, 9 more than it has places for. About 35 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 5 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 15% of the 50 schools most like it.

Back Lane, Castle Acre, King's Lynn, PE32 2AR01760 755305castleacre.dneat.orgMrs Anne Neary headteacherAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1133%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 38%38%20172018: 50%50%20182019: 67%67%20192023: 50%50%20232024: 25%25%20242025: 33%33%2025
Since 2017: -5%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NorfolkEngland
Pupils tested12128668
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths33%25%50%67%50%38%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0102.0105.0103.0101.0100.0104.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.097.0103.0102.097.095.0103.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score101.0100.0103.0102.0100.0100.0103.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard42%58%63%67%67%50%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard42%42%50%67%67%38%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)42%25%63%67%50%63%
Reading progressReading progress score+3.4-4.2-2.2-2.5
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.8-4.8-5.5-7.0

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. None of the gaps is 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 11Boys vs girls
0%67%
Gap 67 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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places73 pupils for 77 places, 2024/25
95% full

About 4 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 11% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

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 roll86Census January 2026
Places77112% full
Pupils from low-income families35%35% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support23%20 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan14%12 pupils with a plan
Average class size28.33 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils33%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)35%£46,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls45 / 41
White British pupils93%

Specialist SEND provision. Listed by the government as catering for autism, severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Norfolk with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (11), emotional and mental health (10), Specific learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll867263616666
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals35%26%27%28%26%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%7%10%8%9%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%18%25%18%18%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans10%8%8%6%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%4.5%6.0%6.3%2.8%2.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.9%3.8%5.1%4.8%2.5%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.0%0.8%0.9%1.6%0.3%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.5%6.6%15.0%17.5%6.5%1.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.012.726.26.11.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

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

Teachers4.8full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher18.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers80%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£42,326
Teachers who left in the year36%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher10.72024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1712 months to June 2026, mostly public order
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people60% lower than the England average
Typical house price£267,500King's Lynn and West Norfolk

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
Sporle Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy3.2 miles83Good 202213Compare
Swaffham Meadow Primary SchoolAcademy3.9 miles61Inadequate 20240Compare
Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery SchoolChurch of England4.2 miles241Good 20234Compare
Narborough Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy4.6 miles100Not inspected25Compare
Swaffham CofE Primary AcademyAcademy4.6 miles215Good 202311Compare
Great Massingham CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England4.7 miles54No overall grade 202410Compare
Litcham SchoolAcademy4.7 miles727Good 202232Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy with the 46 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 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats15%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 5 is 17 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 22 · highest 97100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Sporle Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy3.2 miles83Good 202213Compare
Narborough Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy4.6 miles100Not inspected25Compare
Blenheim Park AcademyAcademy10.6 miles70Good 202497Compare
Snettisham Primary SchoolAcademy14.2 miles80Good 202248Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 5 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 5% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 16. 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%below
-0.31
2025 and 2024 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.42
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.05
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.00
2024/25; 61 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.21
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 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 Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy scores 5 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 15% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 16, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

How good are Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 33% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy have?

86 pupils aged 5 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 77 places, so it is 112% full.

Is Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 4 places were empty in 2024/25 (5% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy?

The average class had 28.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 33% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is registered for autism, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Back Lane, Castle Acre, King's Lynn, PE32 2AR
Telephone
01760 755305
Website
www.castleacre.dneat.org
Headteacher
Mrs Anne Neary
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Norwich
Multi-academy trust
The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (40 schools)
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
Massingham with Castle Acre
Constituency
North West Norfolk
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2016 (new provision)
URN
142467 · LAESTAB 9262116 · UKPRN 10054645
Formerly
Castle Acre CofE VC Primary School

Where these figures come from