Nelson Academy
Nursery Road, Downham Market, PE38 9PF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- EASTERN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Sarah Wilson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Eastern Multi-Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- South West Norfolk
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 378
- Pupils on roll
- 386
- URN
- 140363
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01366383824
About this school
Nelson Academy is a primary academy in Downham Market. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 386 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Nelson 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 9 November 2022, 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 60 | 65 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 66% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 11% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 58% | 75% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 78% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 58% | 63% | 53% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -3.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.30 | - | - |
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 Nelson 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 | 58% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 415 |
| 2023/24 | 417 |
| 2024/25 | 403 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Nelson Academy compares
Nelson Academy ranked 91st of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63% | 6.5% | 35% | 386 | — |
| Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School | 71% | 4.9% | 21.4% | 404 | 0.7 miles |
| Wimbotsham and Stow Academy | 56% | 5.3% | 8.8% | 106 | 1.1 miles |
| Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 76% | 4.6% | 20.4% | 108 | 1.2 miles |
| Holy Cross Church of England Primary School | 40% | 2.7% | 33.3% | 55 | 3.4 miles |
| Hilgay Riverside Academy | 60% | 5.6% | 33.8% | 75 | 3.4 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)
- 34.95%
- English as an additional language
- 19.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.5%
- Persistent absence
- 22.22%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Downham Market
-
Wimbotsham and Stow Academy1.1 miles
Primary · King's Lynn
-
Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Downham Market
-
Holy Cross Church of England Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · King's Lynn
-
Hilgay Riverside Academy3.4 miles
Primary · Downham Market
Other schools in Downham Market
Nelson Academy ranks 3rd of the 5 ranked primary schools in Downham Market.
- Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School Primary
- Hilgay Riverside Academy Primary
- Southery Academy Primary
- Downham Market Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Nelson Academy teach?
- Nelson Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Downham Market.
- Who is the principal of Nelson Academy?
- The principal of Nelson Academy is Mrs Sarah Wilson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Nelson Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Nelson 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 Nelson Academy?
- Nelson Academy has 386 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Nelson Academy full?
- Nelson Academy has capacity for 378 pupils and 386 on roll (102%), 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 Nelson Academy a faith school?
- No. Nelson Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Nelson Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Nelson Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Nelson Academy part of an academy trust?
- Nelson Academy is part of EASTERN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Nelson Academy have?
- The schools register lists Nelson 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 Nelson Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Nelson Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Nelson Academy ranked 91st of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 30% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Nelson Academy's absence rate?
- Nelson Academy's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Nelson Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Nelson 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.