School Chooser

Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyChurch of England61 pupilsFakenhamNorfolk
School Chooser Score
26
Below
similar schools
Likely range 11 to 56, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, March 2024
Attendance94.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
Places29 spare61 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher13.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll61Census January 2026

Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy is a converter academy in Fakenham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 61 pupils and room for 90. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 27 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Creake Road, Sculthorpe, Fakenham, NR21 9NQ01328 862704unityfederation.co.ukMiss Suzannah Hayes executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 12 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

5 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 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial 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
2017 to 2024
2017: 58%58%20172018: 75%75%20182019: 63%63%20192023: 29%29%20232024: 22%22%2024
Since 2017: -36%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017NorfolkEngland
Pupils tested59781212
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths22%29%63%75%58%56%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%8%17%5%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score101.099.0102.0104.0103.0104.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score99.096.0104.0104.0101.0103.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score99.097.0102.0102.0101.0103.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard56%57%63%92%67%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard44%43%75%83%58%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)56%29%75%92%67%
Reading progressReading progress score-4.4-3.0-1.0-2.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-6.6-1.8+0.0-2.0

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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places54 pupils for 90 places, 2024/25
60% full

36 places were empty (40% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 11% 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 roll61Census January 2026
Places9068% full
Pupils from low-income families26%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%13 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size20.03 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)25%£23,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls34 / 27
White British pupils95%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (7), language and communications needs (5), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll615458506166
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals26%24%21%18%15%5%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%2%5%4%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%19%18%21%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans9%2%0%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school12.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils14.82024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.8%6.9%6.7%6.0%3.4%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%5.2%5.9%5.3%3.2%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.7%1.7%0.8%0.7%0.2%1.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence12.3%23.5%23.7%20.7%8.3%10.0%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate14.86.92.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

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

Teachers4.4full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher13.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£45,424
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.22024/25

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate36 per 1,000 people61% lower than the England average
Typical house price£300,000North 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
Fakenham Junior SchoolAcademy1.7 miles257Good 202314Compare
Fakenham Infant and Nursery SchoolAcademy2.0 miles207Good 202356Compare
Colkirk Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy3.4 miles55Good 20247Compare
Little Snoring Community Primary AcademyAcademy3.6 miles65No overall grade 202547Compare
Blenheim Park AcademyAcademy3.6 miles70Good 202497Compare
Walsingham CE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England4.2 miles30Requires improvement 20240Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy 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.

Beats62%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 27 is 8 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 19 · highest 90100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 27 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 27% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 11 to 56. 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, 2.5 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.28
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.05
2024/25; 49 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 Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy scores 27 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 62% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 11 to 56, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy good at its last full inspection on 12 March 2024.

How many pupils does Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy have?

61 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 68% full.

Is Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 36 places were empty in 2024/25 (40% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 20.0 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
Creake Road, Sculthorpe, Fakenham, NR21 9NQ
Telephone
01328 862704
Website
www.unityfederation.co.uk
Executive Headteacher
Miss Suzannah Hayes
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11
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
Walsingham
Constituency
Broadland and Fakenham
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 December 2015 (academy converter)
URN
141918 · LAESTAB 9263359 · UKPRN 10053753
Formerly
Sculthorpe Church of England Primary School

Where these figures come from