Hethersett Academy
Queen's Road, Hethersett, Norwich, NR9 3DB
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- INSPIRATION TRUST
- Principal
- Ms Jane Diver
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Inspiration Trust
- Constituency
- South Norfolk
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,350
- Pupils on roll
- 1,250
- URN
- 140188
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603810924
About this school
Hethersett Academy is a secondary academy in Norwich. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 1,250 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Hethersett Academy, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 September 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. 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 | 195 | 208 | 223 |
| Attainment 8 score | 54.2 | 58.2 | 59.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.91 +0.71 to +1.12 | +1.13 +0.94 to +1.33 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 66% | 73.1% | 71.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 79% | 84.6% | 86.5% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 68% | 71.6% | 74.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
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 Hethersett 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 | 54.2 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 58.2 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 59 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,108 |
| 2023/24 | 1,174 |
| 2024/25 | 1,209 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Hethersett Academy compares
Hethersett Academy ranked 2nd of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% 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 | 59 | 7% | 14.5% | 1,250 | — |
| Wymondham High Academy | 52.6 | 9% | 16.8% | 1,686 | 3.2 miles |
| City Academy Norwich | 35.2 | 11.7% | 53.7% | 674 | 3.3 miles |
| Ormiston Victory Academy | 45.3 | 8.2% | 28.4% | 1,517 | 3.7 miles |
| City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy | 50.4 | 9% | 28.5% | 1,685 | 3.9 miles |
| University Technical College Norfolk | 49.8 | 6.2% | 22.3% | 451 | 4.1 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)
- 14.47%
- English as an additional language
- 11.1%
- Overall absence
- 7%
- Persistent absence
- 15.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wymondham High Academy3.2 miles
Secondary · Wymondham
-
City Academy Norwich3.3 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
Ormiston Victory Academy3.7 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy3.9 miles
Secondary · Norwich
-
University Technical College Norfolk4.1 miles
Secondary · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
Hethersett Academy ranks 2nd 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
- Hellesdon High School 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 Hethersett Academy teach?
- Hethersett Academy teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Norwich.
- Who is the principal of Hethersett Academy?
- The principal of Hethersett Academy is Ms Jane Diver, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Hethersett Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Hethersett 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 Hethersett Academy?
- Hethersett Academy has 1,250 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
- Is Hethersett Academy full?
- Hethersett Academy has capacity for 1,350 pupils and 1,250 on roll (93%), 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 Hethersett Academy a faith school?
- No. Hethersett Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Hethersett Academy a selective school?
- No. Hethersett Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Hethersett Academy part of an academy trust?
- Hethersett 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.
- How have Hethersett Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 54.2 in 2022/23 and 59 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Hethersett Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Hethersett Academy ranked 2nd of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 92% 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 Hethersett Academy's absence rate?
- Hethersett Academy's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Hethersett Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Hethersett 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.