Hickling CofE Infants Academy
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Hickling CofE Infants Academy is a converter academy in Norwich for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 11 pupils and room for 45. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 69 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
The Street, Hickling, Norwich, NR12 0XX01692 598355swallowtailfederation.co.ukMrs Natalie Butcher headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 14 March 2023 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
No published results yet for this school.
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.
30 places were empty (67% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 11 | 22 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 9% | 5% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 5% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 3.8% | 4.8% | 6.0% | 12.0% | 1.8% | 6.5% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.5% | 2.4% | 4.9% | 10.6% | 1.6% | 4.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.3% | 2.4% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 2.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 0.0% | 0.0% | 30.8% | 53.3% | 7.7% | 18.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 4.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Hickling CofE VC Infant School, the school this one replaced in April 2024. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
The area around the school
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Church of England Infant Acdemy | Academy | 1.8 miles | 32 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Stalham Academy | Academy | 2.1 miles | 217 | Good 2022 | 71 | Compare |
| Catfield CofE Primary Academy | Academy | 2.4 miles | 84 | Requires improvement 2022 | 27 | Compare |
| Stalham Infant School and Nursery | Academy | 2.5 miles | 118 | Good 2023 | 67 | Compare |
| Ludham Primary School and Nursery | Academy | 3.6 miles | – | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| Martham Academy and Nursery | Academy | 4.3 miles | 312 | Good 2023 | 26 | Compare |
| East Ruston Infant School & Nursery | Academy | 4.8 miles | 37 | Good 2023 | 64 | Compare |
| Happisburgh Church of England Primary Academy | Academy | 4.9 miles | 32 | Requires improvement 2021 | 3 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Hickling CofE Infants Academy with the 41 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 41 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 69 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 69% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 25 to 92. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.03 | Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.19 | 2024/25; 15 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Hickling CofE Infants Academy a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Hickling CofE Infants Academy scores 69 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 68% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 25 to 92, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Hickling CofE Infants Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Hickling CofE Infants Academy good at its last full inspection on 14 March 2023.
How many pupils does Hickling CofE Infants Academy have?
11 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 45 places, so it is 24% full.
Is Hickling CofE Infants Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (67% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Hickling CofE Infants Academy?
Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 0% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Hickling CofE Infants Academy?
The average class had 10.0 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
- The Street, Hickling, Norwich, NR12 0XX
- Telephone
- 01692 598355
- Website
- www.swallowtailfederation.co.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Natalie Butcher
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Norwich
- Multi-academy trust
- The Diocese of Norwich St Benet's Multi-Academy Trust (19 schools)
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Ward
- Hickling
- Constituency
- North Norfolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2024 (academy converter)
- URN
- 150249 · LAESTAB 9263045 · UKPRN 10093669
- Formerly
- Hickling CofE VC Infant School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.