What year groups does Fred Nicholson School teach?

Fred Nicholson School teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is a special school in Swaffham.

Who is the headteacher of Fred Nicholson School?

The headteacher of Fred Nicholson School is Mrs Heidi Philpott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.

When was Fred Nicholson School last inspected?

Ofsted has inspected Fred Nicholson 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 Fred Nicholson School?

Fred Nicholson School has 195 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.

Is Fred Nicholson School full?

Fred Nicholson School has capacity for 224 pupils and 195 on roll (87%), 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 Fred Nicholson School a faith school?

No. Fred Nicholson School has no designated religious character.

What SEN provision does Fred Nicholson School have?

The schools register lists Fred Nicholson School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.

How have Fred Nicholson School's results changed over recent years?

Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.

What is Fred Nicholson School's absence rate?

Fred Nicholson School's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.

What are Fred Nicholson School's exam results?

Where the Department for Education has published them, Fred Nicholson 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.

Home
Norfolk
Swaffham
Fred Nicholson School

Fred Nicholson School

77 Lynn Road, Swaffham, PE37 7BB

Phase: Special schools
School type: Foundation special school
Ages: 3 to 19
Gender: Mixed
Headteacher: Mrs Heidi Philpott
SEN provision: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Constituency: South West Norfolk
Setting: Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Capacity: 224
Pupils on roll: 195
URN: 121256
Local authority: Norfolk
Website: School website
Telephone: 01362693915

About this school

Fred Nicholson School is a foundation special school in Swaffham. It teaches children aged 3 to 19 and has 195 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

England: previous inspection framework

Inspected 12 March 2025 · short inspection

Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 March 2025, where inspectors found some aspects are not as strong as at the previous inspection. 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.

Read the full report on Ofsted's website

Exam results

Key stage 2 (end of primary school)

Measure	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 2	15	14	15
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths	0%	0%	0%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths	0%	0%	0%
Expected standard in reading	0%	0%	0%
Expected standard in maths	0%	0%	0%
Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling	0%	0%	0%
Average scaled score in reading	-	-	-
Average scaled score in maths	-	-	-
Reading progress	-11.10	-	-
Writing progress	-9.00	-	-
Maths progress	-8.10	-	-

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.

Key stage 4 (GCSEs)

Measure	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 4	19	19	29
Attainment 8 score	-	-	-
Progress 8 score	-	-	-
Grade 5 or above in English and maths	-	-	-
Grade 4 or above in English and maths	-	-	-
Entered the English Baccalaureate	-	-	-
English Baccalaureate average point score	-	-	-

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 Fred Nicholson School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.

Key stage 2: reading, writing and maths expected standard

Year	This school	Norfolk average	England average
2022/23	0%	49.1%	57.9%
2023/24	0%	49.1%	58.8%
2024/25	0%	52.7%	60.3%

Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.

Overall absence rate

Year	This school	England average
2022/23	10.1%	6.8%
2023/24	9.7%	6.6%
2024/25	8.9%	6.2%

Department for Education pupil absence data.

Pupils on roll

Year	This school
2022/23	173
2023/24	191
2024/25	197

School census, spring count each academic year.

School context

From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.

Free school meals (last 6 years): 57.07%
English as an additional language: 9.6%
Overall absence: 8.88%
Persistent absence: 26.49%

Location

Nearby schools

OneSchool Global UK - Swaffham Campus
Independent schools · Swaffham

0.5 miles
Sheridan House School
Special schools · Thetford

8.4 miles
Ortus Education Ltd - West Raynham School
Special schools · Fakenham

10.7 miles
Churchill Park Complex Needs School
Academies · King's Lynn

12.1 miles
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Swaffham
Primary · Swaffham

0.5 miles

Other schools in Swaffham

Heartwood CofE VC Primary & Nursery School Primary
Necton VA Primary School Primary
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Swaffham Primary
Swaffham CofE Primary Academy Primary
The Nicholas Hamond Academy Secondary
OneSchool Global UK - Swaffham Campus Independent schools

Common questions

What year groups does Fred Nicholson School teach?: Fred Nicholson School teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is a special school in Swaffham.
Who is the headteacher of Fred Nicholson School?: The headteacher of Fred Nicholson School is Mrs Heidi Philpott, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
When was Fred Nicholson School last inspected?: Ofsted has inspected Fred Nicholson 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 Fred Nicholson School?: Fred Nicholson School has 195 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.
Is Fred Nicholson School full?: Fred Nicholson School has capacity for 224 pupils and 195 on roll (87%), 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 Fred Nicholson School a faith school?: No. Fred Nicholson School has no designated religious character.
What SEN provision does Fred Nicholson School have?: The schools register lists Fred Nicholson School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; HI - Hearing Impairment; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty; PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
How have Fred Nicholson School's results changed over recent years?: Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
What is Fred Nicholson School's absence rate?: Fred Nicholson School's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
What are Fred Nicholson School's exam results?: Where the Department for Education has published them, Fred Nicholson 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.