Hellesdon High School
187 Middletons Lane, Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 5SB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE WENSUM TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Watts
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- The Wensum Trust
- Constituency
- Norwich North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,290
- Pupils on roll
- 1,476
- URN
- 138039
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603424711
About this school
Hellesdon High School is a secondary academy in Norwich. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,476 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hellesdon 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Requires improvement
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 248 | 250 | 243 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.3 | 39.5 | 40.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.36 -0.54 to -0.18 | -0.49 -0.67 to -0.31 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 29% | 32% | 31.7% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 54% | 55.6% | 52.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 53% | 51.6% | 27.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
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 Hellesdon 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 | 40.3 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 39.5 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 40.3 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 14.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,577 |
| 2023/24 | 1,581 |
| 2024/25 | 1,523 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hellesdon High School compares
Hellesdon High School ranked 42nd of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 40.3 | 10.5% | 26.3% | 1,476 | — |
| Sewell Park Academy | 39.1 | 10.3% | 41.4% | 775 | 2.0 miles |
| Ormiston Victory Academy | 45.3 | 8.2% | 28.4% | 1,517 | 2.0 miles |
| City Academy Norwich | 35.2 | 11.7% | 53.7% | 674 | 2.3 miles |
| Jane Austen College | 53.7 | 6.9% | 29.3% | 1,085 | 2.5 miles |
| Sprowston Community Academy | 45 | 11.4% | 22.1% | 1,702 | 2.9 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)
- 26.34%
- English as an additional language
- 11.6%
- Overall absence
- 10.51%
- Persistent absence
- 27.6%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sewell Park Academy2.0 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Ormiston Victory Academy2.0 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
City Academy Norwich2.3 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Jane Austen College2.5 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Sprowston Community Academy2.9 miles
Secondary · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
Hellesdon High School ranks 18th of the 22 ranked secondary schools in Norwich.
- Acle Academy Secondary
- Aylsham High School Secondary
- Broadland High Ormiston Academy Secondary
- City Academy Norwich Secondary
- City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy Secondary
- Framingham Earl 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 Hellesdon High School teach?
- Hellesdon High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Norwich.
- Who is the headteacher of Hellesdon High School?
- The headteacher of Hellesdon High School is Mrs Helen Watts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hellesdon High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hellesdon 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 Hellesdon High School?
- Hellesdon High School has 1,476 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Hellesdon High School full?
- Hellesdon High School has capacity for 1,290 pupils and 1,476 on roll (114%), 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 Hellesdon High School a faith school?
- No. Hellesdon High School has no designated religious character.
- Is Hellesdon High School a selective school?
- No. Hellesdon High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Hellesdon High School part of an academy trust?
- Hellesdon High School is part of THE WENSUM TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Hellesdon High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.3 in 2022/23 and 40.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hellesdon High School compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Hellesdon High School ranked 42nd of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Hellesdon High School's absence rate?
- Hellesdon High School's overall absence rate is 10.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hellesdon High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hellesdon 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 1 July 2026.