Swanton Morley VC Primary School
Manns Lane, Swanton Morley, Dereham, NR20 4PX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Richards
- Diocese
- Diocese of Norwich
- Constituency
- Mid Norfolk
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 174
- URN
- 121083
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01362637219
About this school
Swanton Morley VC Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Dereham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 174 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 11 December 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 27 | 25 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 85% | 80% | 21% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 12% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 96% | 88% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 80% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 84% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 105.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.70 | - | - |
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 Swanton Morley VC 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 | 85% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 80% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 21% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 183 |
| 2023/24 | 178 |
| 2024/25 | 183 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Swanton Morley VC Primary School compares
Swanton Morley VC Primary School ranked 260th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 21% | 5% | 20.2% | 174 | — |
| St Mary's Community Primary School, Beetley | 28% | 4.7% | 20.5% | 156 | 2.2 miles |
| King's Park Infant School, Dereham | — | 5.7% | 38.3% | 37 | 2.5 miles |
| Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy | — | 5.6% | 34.5% | 180 | 2.9 miles |
| Bawdeswell Community Primary School | 18% | 6.3% | 32.2% | 85 | 2.9 miles |
| North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery | 33% | 7.9% | 33.3% | 60 | 3.0 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)
- 20.22%
- English as an additional language
- 3.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.99%
- Persistent absence
- 14.55%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's Community Primary School, Beetley2.2 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
King's Park Infant School, Dereham2.5 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy2.9 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
Bawdeswell Community Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Dereham
-
North Elmham Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery3.0 miles
Primary · Dereham
Other schools in Dereham
Swanton Morley VC Primary School ranks 11th 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
- Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Swanton Morley VC Primary School teach?
- Swanton Morley VC Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Dereham.
- Who is the headteacher of Swanton Morley VC Primary School?
- The headteacher of Swanton Morley VC Primary School is Mr Matthew Richards, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Swanton Morley VC Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Swanton Morley VC 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 big is Swanton Morley VC Primary School?
- Swanton Morley VC Primary School has 174 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Swanton Morley VC Primary School full?
- Swanton Morley VC Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 174 on roll (83%), so it has space against 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 Swanton Morley VC Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Swanton Morley VC Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Norwich.
- Does Swanton Morley VC Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Swanton Morley VC Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Swanton Morley VC Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 85% in 2022/23 and 21% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Swanton Morley VC Primary School rank locally?
- Swanton Morley VC Primary School ranked 260th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 5% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Swanton Morley VC Primary School's absence rate?
- Swanton Morley VC Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Swanton Morley VC Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Swanton Morley VC 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 7 July 2026.