Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School
White Cross Road, Swaffham, PE37 7RF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rebecca Starman
- Diocese
- Diocese of Norwich
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- South West Norfolk
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 241
- URN
- 121059
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01760721357
About this school
Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Swaffham. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 241 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 26 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 38% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 42% | 62% |
| Expected standard in maths | 27% | 41% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 42% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 99.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 96.0 | 99.0 |
Trends over time
How Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Norfolk average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 38% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 209 |
| 2023/24 | 244 |
| 2024/25 | 249 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School compares
Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School ranked 235th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38% | 5% | 31.9% | 241 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Swaffham | 0% | 10.8% | 38.2% | 61 | 0.3 miles |
| Swaffham CofE Primary Academy | 41% | 5.6% | 29.7% | 215 | 0.4 miles |
| Sporle Church of England Primary Academy | 38% | 5.5% | 32.9% | 83 | 2.5 miles |
| Necton VA Primary School | 58% | 5.8% | 32.1% | 198 | 3.8 miles |
| Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy | 33% | 4.9% | 26.4% | 86 | 4.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 31.9%
- English as an additional language
- 14.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 10.42%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Swaffham0.3 miles
Primary · Swaffham
-
Swaffham CofE Primary Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Swaffham
-
Sporle Church of England Primary Academy2.5 miles
Primary · King's Lynn
-
Necton VA Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Swaffham
-
Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy4.2 miles
Primary · King's Lynn
Other schools in Swaffham
- Necton VA Primary School Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Swaffham Primary
- Swaffham CofE Primary Academy Primary
- The Nicholas Hamond Academy Secondary
- Fred Nicholson School Special schools
- OneSchool Global UK - Swaffham Campus Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School teach?
- Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Swaffham.
- Who is the headteacher of Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School?
- The headteacher of Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School is Mrs Rebecca Starman, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School?
- Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School has 241 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School full?
- Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School has capacity for 240 pupils and 241 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School a faith school?
- Yes. Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Norwich.
- Does Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- How have Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 4% in 2023/24 and 38% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School rank locally?
- Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School ranked 235th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School's absence rate?
- Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 30 June 2026.