Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Dereham Road, Scarning, Dereham, NR19 2PW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Headteacher
- Mr Nick King
- Constituency
- Mid Norfolk
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 436
- Pupils on roll
- 415
- URN
- 121067
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01362692665
About this school
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a voluntary controlled primary school in Dereham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 415 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 February 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 63 | 64 | 58 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 50% | 57% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 3% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 64% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 59% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 63% | 72% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 | 67% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 57% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 414 |
| 2023/24 | 403 |
| 2024/25 | 404 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School compares
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 133rd of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 57% | 4.8% | 20.8% | 415 | — |
| Dereham Church of England Junior Academy | 54% | 4.5% | 37.7% | 365 | 0.8 miles |
| Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy | — | 5.6% | 34.5% | 180 | 0.8 miles |
| Grove House Infant and Nursery School | — | 4.3% | 35% | 83 | 0.9 miles |
| King's Park Infant School, Dereham | — | 5.7% | 38.3% | 37 | 1.1 miles |
| Toftwood Infant School | — | 4.9% | 12.5% | 205 | 1.5 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)
- 20.79%
- English as an additional language
- 7.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.84%
- Persistent absence
- 7.52%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Dereham Church of England Junior Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
Grove House Infant and Nursery School0.9 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
King's Park Infant School, Dereham1.1 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
Toftwood Infant School1.5 miles
Primary · Dereham
Other schools in Dereham
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranks 5th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Dereham.
- Bawdeswell Community Primary School Primary
- Brisley Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy Primary
- Dereham Church of England Junior Academy Primary
- Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior School Primary
- Foulsham Primary School Academy Primary
- Grove House Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Hockering Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- King's Park Infant School, Dereham Primary
- Mattishall Primary School Primary
- North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery Primary
- St Mary's Community Primary School, Beetley Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School teach?
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Dereham.
- Who is the headteacher of Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- The headteacher of Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School is Mr Nick King, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 many pupils are at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School has 415 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School full?
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School has capacity for 436 pupils and 415 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School a faith school?
- No. Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% in 2022/23 and 57% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School ranked 133rd of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 34% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's absence rate?
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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.