The Parkside School, Norwich
College Road, Norwich, NR2 3JA
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Foundation special school
- Ages
- 7 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Executive Head
- Mrs Carolyn Ellis-Gage
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, 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
- Norwich South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 170
- Pupils on roll
- 199
- URN
- 121262
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603441126
About this school
The Parkside School, Norwich is a foundation special school in Norwich. It teaches children aged 7 to 18 and has 199 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Parkside School, Norwich, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 May 2025, 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 | 17 | 14 | 22 |
| 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 | -6.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -7.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.70 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 22 | 18 | 22 |
| 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 The Parkside School, Norwich 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 | 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.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 179 |
| 2023/24 | 181 |
| 2024/25 | 189 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 54.29%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 8.88%
- Persistent absence
- 25.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk0.3 miles
Special schools · Norwich
-
Notre Dame Preparatory School (Norwich) Limited0.5 miles
Independent schools · Norwich
-
The Clare School0.6 miles
Special schools · Norwich
-
Norwich High School for Girls GDST0.7 miles
Independent schools
-
Town Close Co-Educational Preparatory School0.9 miles
Independent schools · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
- Acorn Park School Special schools
- All Saints School Special schools
- Aurora Eccles School Special schools
- Aurora White House School Special schools
- Banks House School Special schools
- Eaton Hall Specialist Academy Academies
- Future Education Special schools
- Hall School Special schools
- Harford Manor School, Norwich Special schools
- Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk Special schools
- The Clare School Special schools
- The Lighthouse Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does The Parkside School, Norwich teach?
- The Parkside School, Norwich teaches children aged 7 to 18. It is a special school in Norwich.
- Who is the executive head of The Parkside School, Norwich?
- The executive head of The Parkside School, Norwich is Mrs Carolyn Ellis-Gage, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Parkside School, Norwich been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Parkside School, Norwich, 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 The Parkside School, Norwich?
- The Parkside School, Norwich has 199 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 18.
- Is The Parkside School, Norwich full?
- The Parkside School, Norwich has capacity for 170 pupils and 199 on roll (117%), 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 The Parkside School, Norwich a faith school?
- No. The Parkside School, Norwich has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does The Parkside School, Norwich have?
- The schools register lists The Parkside School, Norwich's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; VI - Visual Impairment; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; 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 The Parkside School, Norwich'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 The Parkside School, Norwich's absence rate?
- The Parkside School, Norwich's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Parkside School, Norwich's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Parkside School, Norwich'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 2 July 2026.