Cromer Academy
Norwich Road, Cromer, NR27 0EX
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- INSPIRATION TRUST
- Principal
- Mr John Vincent
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Inspiration Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- North Norfolk
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 720
- Pupils on roll
- 665
- URN
- 137431
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01263511433
About this school
Cromer Academy is a secondary academy in Cromer. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 665 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Cromer Academy, 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 24 May 2023, 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 | 139 | 129 | 133 |
| Attainment 8 score | 48.4 | 47.0 | 48.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.25 +0.01 to +0.49 | +0.26 +0.01 to +0.51 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 55% | 53.5% | 59.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 75% | 70.5% | 77.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 70% | 59.7% | 51.1% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
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 Cromer Academy 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 | 48.4 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 47 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 48.1 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 692 |
| 2023/24 | 667 |
| 2024/25 | 650 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cromer Academy compares
Cromer Academy ranked 14th of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 69% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48.1 | 7.2% | 26.6% | 665 | — |
| Sheringham High School | 47.1 | 9.7% | 24.7% | 630 | 4.5 miles |
| North Walsham High School | 45.8 | 8.4% | 31% | 641 | 8.2 miles |
| Aylsham High School | 45 | 9.6% | 19.8% | 1,138 | 8.9 miles |
| Cromer Junior School | — | 5.6% | 30% | 255 | 0.1 miles |
| Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, Cromer | — | 6% | 19.2% | 126 | 0.1 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)
- 26.62%
- English as an additional language
- 4.6%
- Overall absence
- 7.15%
- Persistent absence
- 18.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sheringham High School4.5 miles
Secondary · Sheringham
-
North Walsham High School8.2 miles
Secondary · North Walsham
-
Aylsham High School8.9 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Cromer Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Cromer
-
Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, Cromer0.1 miles
Primary · Cromer
Other schools in Cromer
- Cromer Junior School Primary
- Northrepps Primary School Primary
- Overstrand, the Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, Cromer Primary
- Sidestrand Hall School Special schools
- St Andrew's School Special schools
- Beeston Hall School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Cromer Academy teach?
- Cromer Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Cromer.
- Who is the principal of Cromer Academy?
- The principal of Cromer Academy is Mr John Vincent, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Cromer Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cromer Academy, 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 Cromer Academy?
- Cromer Academy has 665 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Cromer Academy full?
- Cromer Academy has capacity for 720 pupils and 665 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 Cromer Academy a faith school?
- No. Cromer Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Cromer Academy a selective school?
- No. Cromer Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Cromer Academy part of an academy trust?
- Cromer Academy is part of INSPIRATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Cromer Academy have?
- The schools register lists Cromer Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Cromer Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 48.4 in 2022/23 and 48.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Cromer Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Cromer Academy ranked 14th of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 69% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Cromer Academy's absence rate?
- Cromer Academy's overall absence rate is 7.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cromer Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cromer Academy'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.