School Chooser

Chapel Green School

Special · ages 3-19MixedFoundation special school199 pupilsSixth formNurseryNorfolk
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, December 2024
Reached the expected level at 110%England 63%
Attendance90.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families40%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull199 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher6.6School workforce census

Chapel Green School is a foundation special school in Old Buckenham for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 199 pupils, 19 more than it has places for. About 40 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Attleborough Road, Old Buckenham, NR17 1RF01953 453116chapelgreenschool.org.ukMrs Emily Severn headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 December 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
19 July 2023UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

9 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

10 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 110%
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 scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2019 to 2025
2019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2019: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NorfolkEngland
Pupils tested101517843
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%5%8%
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%0%0%0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%0%0%0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)0%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-8.3-1.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.6-2.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll199Census January 2026
Places180111% full
Pupils from low-income families39%40% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English10%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support1%1 pupil with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%198 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)41%£91,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls131 / 68
White British pupils83%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.

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: Autistic spectrum disorder (75), language and communications needs (35), Moderate learning difficulty (28), Severe learning difficulty (22), Physical disability (11), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (7).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll199179174161128116
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals39%36%31%29%27%29%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language10%11%12%14%12%10%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance90.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school25.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils8.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence9.6%9.9%10.7%11.4%8.0%8.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence8.2%8.5%8.8%10.3%7.5%7.6%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%1.3%1.9%1.1%0.5%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence25.3%30.2%33.1%44.1%24.5%25.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate8.43.53.10.83.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 7 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers2016/17 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%100%
Education100%100%100%100%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers30.1full-time equivalent, 36 people
Pupils per teacher6.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers89%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants51.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£43,925
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.72024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£27,428England £32,258. Total £4.9m
Income per pupil£27,730England £32,367. Total £5.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£11,225England £11,930
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £87k, £489 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£54kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£27,428spent 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 m2812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people61% lower than the England average
Typical house price£270,000Breckland

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Old Buckenham High SchoolAcademy170 m501Good 202334Compare
Old Buckenham Primary SchoolAcademy180 m184Good 202448Compare
Acorn Park SchoolIndependent2.1 miles175Not inspectedCompare
Banham Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles95No overall grade 202445Compare
Attleborough Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles365No overall grade 2024Compare
Rosecroft Primary SchoolAcademy2.5 miles457Requires improvement 2024Compare
Attleborough AcademyAcademy2.5 miles976Report card 202658Compare
Carleton Rode Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England3.0 miles59No overall grade 202528Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Chapel Green School a good school?

Chapel Green School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in December 2024.

What is Chapel Green School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Chapel Green School not judged at its last full inspection on 10 December 2024.

How good are Chapel Green School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 Chapel Green School have?

199 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 111% full.

What is attendance like at Chapel Green School?

Pupils were in school 90.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Chapel Green School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Chapel Green School have a sixth form?

Yes.

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

Contact and details

Address
Attleborough Road, Old Buckenham, NR17 1RF
Telephone
01953 453116
Website
www.chapelgreenschool.org.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Emily Severn
Type of school
Foundation special school (Foundation special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 3-19, with nursery, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Trust
Trust Norfolk-SEN
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
The Buckenhams & Banham
Constituency
Mid Norfolk
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
121260 · LAESTAB 9267010 · UKPRN 10015220

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from