School Chooser

Heather Avenue Infant School

Primary · ages 5-7MixedAcademy99 pupilsNorwichNorfolk
School Chooser Score
58
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 29 to 82, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 82% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Attendance93.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families15%Far fewer than most schools
Places69 spare99 pupils, 168 places
Pupils per teacher19.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll99Census January 2026

Heather Avenue Infant School is a converter academy in Norwich for boys and girls aged 5 to 7. It has 99 pupils and room for 168. About 15 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 58 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 82% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Heather Avenue, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 6LT01603 426438heatheravenue.co.ukMiss Stacey Coleman headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 October 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”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places116 pupils for 174 places, 2024/25
67% full

58 places were empty (33% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 9% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 roll99Census January 2026
Places16859% full
Pupils from low-income families15%15% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English26%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%10 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan9%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.84 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)12%£18,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls57 / 42
White British pupils66%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (15), emotional and mental health (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll99114115132128130
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals15%17%20%23%13%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language26%23%23%24%29%23%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support4%7%12%11%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans8%7%4%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.8%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.2%7.3%8.3%6.5%4.7%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.2%6.1%6.9%5.7%4.2%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.9%1.2%1.4%0.8%0.6%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.0%25.0%29.7%19.2%10.6%5.5%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.63.50.01.60.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers5.1full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher19.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,290
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.52024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£13,763England £7,128. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£13,851England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,009England £3,405
Money in reserve1%Very little put by: £17k, £148 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£10kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£13,763spent 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 m7612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate61 per 1,000 people33% lower than the England average
Typical house price£304,500Broadland

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
Firside Junior SchoolAcademy840 m327Not inspected33Compare
Catton Grove Primary SchoolCouncil940 m639Good 202318Compare
Kinsale Infant SchoolAcademy990 m110No overall grade 2025Compare
Kinsale Junior SchoolAcademy990 m217Good 202329Compare
Mile Cross Primary SchoolCouncil0.6 miles465Not inspected55Compare
Arden Grove Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy1.0 miles173No overall grade 202592Compare
Garrick Green Infant SchoolAcademy1.0 miles116No overall grade 202431Compare
Old Catton CofE VC Junior SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles187Good 202327Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Heather Avenue Infant School with the 45 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 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats82%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 0 · middle 41 · highest 99100

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: 29 to 82. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.29
Ofsted grade, 1.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.16
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.04
2024/25; 82 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
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 Heather Avenue Infant School a good school?

It is about average. Heather Avenue Infant School scores 58 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 82% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 82, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Heather Avenue Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Heather Avenue Infant School not judged at its last full inspection on 8 October 2024.

How many pupils does Heather Avenue Infant School have?

99 pupils aged 5 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 168 places, so it is 59% full.

Is Heather Avenue Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 58 places were empty in 2024/25 (33% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Heather Avenue Infant School?

Pupils were in school 93.8% 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 Heather Avenue Infant School?

The average class had 24.8 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
Heather Avenue, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 6LT
Telephone
01603 426438
Website
www.heatheravenue.co.uk
Headteacher
Miss Stacey Coleman
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 5-7
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
The Wensum Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
Hellesdon South East
Constituency
Norwich North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2017 (academy converter)
URN
144143 · LAESTAB 9262271 · UKPRN 10063027
Formerly
Heather Avenue Infant School

Where these figures come from