Aylsham High School
Sir Williams Lane, Aylsham, Norwich, NR11 6AN
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- The Aylsham Cluster Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Duncan Spalding
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Federation
- Aylsham Learning Federation
- Constituency
- Broadland and Fakenham
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,025
- Pupils on roll
- 1,138
- URN
- 121164
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01263733270
About this school
Aylsham High School is a foundation secondary school in Norwich. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,138 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Aylsham High School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 31 January 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 224 | 229 | 202 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.3 | 49.0 | 45.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.31 +0.12 to +0.50 | +0.21 +0.02 to +0.39 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 59% | 51.1% | 41.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 70.3% | 64.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 72% | 68.6% | 68.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.3 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Aylsham High 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 | 52.3 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 49 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 10.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 11.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,145 |
| 2023/24 | 1,118 |
| 2024/25 | 1,108 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Aylsham High School compares
Aylsham High School ranked 31st of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 57% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45 | 9.6% | 19.8% | 1,138 | — |
| North Walsham High School | 45.8 | 8.4% | 31% | 641 | 5.8 miles |
| Reepham High School and College | 45.5 | 8.9% | 21.2% | 959 | 6.9 miles |
| Taverham High School | 49 | 7.9% | 15.6% | 1,254 | 8.2 miles |
| Broadland High Ormiston Academy | 46.8 | 8.8% | 21.1% | 725 | 8.5 miles |
| Cromer Academy | 48.1 | 7.2% | 26.6% | 665 | 8.9 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)
- 19.77%
- English as an additional language
- 1.4%
- Overall absence
- 9.57%
- Persistent absence
- 23.62%
Location
Nearby schools
-
North Walsham High School5.8 miles
Secondary · North Walsham
-
Reepham High School and College6.9 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Taverham High School8.2 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Broadland High Ormiston Academy8.5 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Cromer Academy8.9 miles
Secondary · Cromer
Other schools in Norwich
Aylsham High School ranks 17th of the 22 ranked secondary schools in Norwich.
- Acle Academy Secondary
- Broadland High Ormiston Academy Secondary
- City Academy Norwich Secondary
- City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy Secondary
- Framingham Earl High School Secondary
- Hellesdon High School Secondary
- Hethersett Academy Secondary
- Hewett Academy Secondary
- Hobart High School Secondary
- Jane Austen College Secondary
- Long Stratton High School Secondary
- Notre Dame High School, Norwich Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Aylsham High School teach?
- Aylsham High School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Norwich.
- Who is the headteacher of Aylsham High School?
- The headteacher of Aylsham High School is Mr Duncan Spalding, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Aylsham High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Aylsham High 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 Aylsham High School?
- Aylsham High School has 1,138 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Aylsham High School full?
- Aylsham High School has capacity for 1,025 pupils and 1,138 on roll (111%), 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 Aylsham High School a faith school?
- No. Aylsham High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Aylsham High School a selective school?
- No. Aylsham High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Aylsham High School part of an academy trust?
- Aylsham High School is part of The Aylsham Cluster Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Aylsham High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52.3 in 2022/23 and 45 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Aylsham High School compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Aylsham High School ranked 31st of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 57% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 9% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Aylsham High School's absence rate?
- Aylsham High School's overall absence rate is 9.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Aylsham High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Aylsham High 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.