School Chooser

Highgate Infant School

Primary · ages 4-7MixedAcademy63 pupilsKing's LynnNorfolk
School Chooser Score
51
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 23 to 78, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Getting better year on year.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, September 2024
Attendance93.8%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families54%Far more than most schools
Places27 spare63 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher13.7School workforce census
Pupils on roll63Census January 2026

Highgate Infant School is a converter academy in King's Lynn for boys and girls aged 4 to 7. It has 63 pupils and room for 90. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 51 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Gaywood Road, King's Lynn, PE30 2PS01553 772496highgateinfant.ukMrs Cheryl Kirby headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 24 September 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”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
26 April 2022UngradedSchool remains Good (Concerns) - S5 Next

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places62 pupils for 90 places, 2024/25
69% full

28 places were empty (31% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 10% 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 roll63Census January 2026
Places9070% full
Pupils from low-income families54%54% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English43%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support19%12 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan16%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size21.03 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)56%£54,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls31 / 32
White British pupils56%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (13), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), emotional and mental health (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1), Physical disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll636258567079
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals54%42%40%43%49%52%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language43%39%43%50%44%27%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support24%16%14%14%13%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans15%10%2%0%3%

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 school22.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.2%5.6%8.2%7.7%6.7%6.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.4%5.1%7.1%4.8%3.8%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.5%1.1%2.9%2.9%3.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence22.9%20.5%28.9%26.4%30.7%23.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.01.70.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers4.6full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher13.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,991
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.02024/25

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£9,274England £7,128. Total £575k
Income per pupil£10,113England £7,587. Total £627k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,016England £3,405
Money in reserve18%A healthy amount put by: £111k, £1,783 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£52kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,274spent 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 m37412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate110 per 1,000 people21% higher 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
Eastgate AcademyAcademy380 m278Outstanding 202388Compare
Greyfriars AcademyAcademy0.7 miles199Requires improvement 20242Compare
Visiting Teacher Service WestMiscellaneous0.7 milesNot inspectedCompare
Greenpark AcademyAcademy0.7 miles358Good 202332Compare
Whitefriars Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy0.8 miles394Outstanding 202485Compare
Parkway AcademyAcademy0.8 miles160Inadequate 20232Compare
King's Oak AcademyAcademy0.9 miles79No overall grade 202446Compare
West Lynn Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles154Good 201942Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Highgate Infant 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.

Beats77%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 51 is 26 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 25 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 51 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 51% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 23 to 78. 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%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.0 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.25
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.27
2024/25; 48 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 Highgate Infant School a good school?

It is about average. Highgate Infant School scores 51 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 77% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 23 to 78, 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 Highgate Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Highgate Infant School not judged at its last full inspection on 24 September 2024.

How many pupils does Highgate Infant School have?

63 pupils aged 4 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 70% full.

Is Highgate Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 28 places were empty in 2024/25 (31% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Highgate Infant School?

Pupils were in school 93.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Highgate Infant School?

The average class had 21.0 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
Gaywood Road, King's Lynn, PE30 2PS
Telephone
01553 772496
Website
highgateinfant.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Cheryl Kirby
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-7
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Unity Education Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Norfolk
Ward
Gaywood Chase
Constituency
North West Norfolk
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 March 2018 (academy converter)
URN
145530 · LAESTAB 9262202 · UKPRN 10066974
Formerly
Highgate Infant School, King's Lynn

Where these figures come from