The Free School Norwich
Kings House, 15-17 Surrey Street, Norwich, NR1 3NX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- THE FREE SCHOOL NORWICH
- Principal
- Mr Darren Webster
- Constituency
- Norwich South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 196
- Pupils on roll
- 180
- URN
- 136821
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603761044
About this school
The Free School Norwich is a primary academy in Norwich. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 180 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Free 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 61% | 46% | 46% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% | 79% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 71% | 61% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 75% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 109.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
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 The Free 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 | 61% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 46% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 46% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 187 |
| 2023/24 | 191 |
| 2024/25 | 185 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Free School Norwich compares
The Free School Norwich ranked 202nd of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 46% | 5.6% | 21.1% | 180 | — |
| Bignold Primary School and Nursery | 57% | 5.9% | 28.3% | 399 | 0.3 miles |
| Charles Darwin Primary School | 81% | 4.7% | 18.7% | 465 | 0.5 miles |
| Lakenham Primary School | 45% | 5.7% | 34.2% | 419 | 0.6 miles |
| Avenue Junior School | 61% | 4.8% | 18.5% | 466 | 0.9 miles |
| Magdalen Gates Primary School | 62% | 6.2% | 26.3% | 194 | 1.0 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.08%
- English as an additional language
- 37.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.57%
- Persistent absence
- 15.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bignold Primary School and Nursery0.3 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Charles Darwin Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Lakenham Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Avenue Junior School0.9 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Magdalen Gates Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
The Free School Norwich ranks 86th of the 102 ranked primary schools in Norwich.
- Acle Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Aldborough Primary School Primary
- Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Angel Road Infant School Primary
- Angel Road Junior School Primary
- Antingham and Southrepps Primary School Primary
- Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Aslacton Primary School Primary
- Avenue Junior School Primary
- Bacton Primary School Primary
- Banham Primary School Primary
- Barford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Free School Norwich teach?
- The Free School Norwich teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Norwich.
- Who is the principal of The Free School Norwich?
- The principal of The Free School Norwich is Mr Darren Webster, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Free School Norwich been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Free 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 Free School Norwich?
- The Free School Norwich has 180 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is The Free School Norwich full?
- The Free School Norwich has capacity for 196 pupils and 180 on roll (92%), 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 The Free School Norwich a faith school?
- No. The Free School Norwich has no designated religious character.
- Does The Free School Norwich have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records The Free School Norwich as having no nursery classes.
- Is The Free School Norwich part of an academy trust?
- The Free School Norwich is part of THE FREE SCHOOL NORWICH. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The Free School Norwich's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 61% in 2022/23 and 46% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The Free School Norwich compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- The Free School Norwich ranked 202nd of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 17% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 47% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The Free School Norwich's absence rate?
- The Free School Norwich's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Free School Norwich's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Free 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 1 July 2026.