What ages does The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy teach?

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Thetford.

Who is the headteacher of The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy?

The headteacher of The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is Mrs Heather Madsen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.

Has The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy been inspected?

Ofsted has inspected The Bishop's Church of England Primary 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 The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy?

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy has 330 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.

Is The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy full?

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 430 pupils and 330 on roll (77%), 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 Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?

Yes. The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Norwich.

Does The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?

Yes. The schools register records The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy as having nursery classes.

Is The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy part of an academy trust?

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is part of THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.

How have The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?

Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 22% in 2022/23 and 27% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.

What is The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 7.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.

What are The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?

Where the Department for Education has published them, The Bishop's Church of England Primary 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.

Home
Norfolk
Thetford
The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy

Canterbury Way, Thetford, IP24 1EB

Phase: Primary
School type: Academy sponsor led
Ages: 3 to 11
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Trust: THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST
Headteacher: Mrs Heather Madsen
Diocese: Diocese of Norwich
Nursery provision: Has Nursery Classes
Sponsor: The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust
Constituency: South West Norfolk
Setting: Urban: Further from a major town or city
Capacity: 430
Pupils on roll: 330
URN: 142633
Local authority: Norfolk
Website: School website
Telephone: 01842754902

About this school

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Thetford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 330 pupils on roll.

Ofsted has inspected The Bishop's Church of England Primary 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

England: previous inspection framework

Inspected 4 March 2025 · report published 29 April 2025

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: Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes: Good
Personal development: Good
Leadership and management: Good
Early years: Good
Safeguarding: Effective

Read the full report on Ofsted's website

Exam results

Key stage 2 (end of primary school)

Measure	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 2	50	57	48
Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths	22%	14%	27%
Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths	0%	0%	0%
Expected standard in reading	30%	39%	48%
Expected standard in maths	34%	28%	48%
Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling	30%	35%	44%
Average scaled score in reading	97.0	99.0	100.0
Average scaled score in maths	97.0	97.0	99.0
Reading progress	-4.40	-	-
Writing progress	-2.90	-	-
Maths progress	-3.40	-	-

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 Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.

Key stage 2: reading, writing and maths expected standard

Year	This school	Norfolk average	England average
2022/23	22%	49.1%	57.9%
2023/24	14%	49.1%	58.8%
2024/25	27%	52.7%	60.3%

Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.

Overall absence rate

Year	This school	England average
2022/23	8.2%	6.8%
2023/24	8.8%	6.6%
2024/25	7.8%	6.2%

Department for Education pupil absence data.

Pupils on roll

Year	This school
2022/23	378
2023/24	383
2024/25	359

School census, spring count each academic year.

How The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy compares

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 257th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.

School	KS2 RWM (2024/25)	Absence	FSM (6 years)	Pupils	Distance
This school	27%	7.8%	61.7%	330	—
Redcastle Family School	70%	5.3%	40.5%	277	0.4 miles
Norwich Road Academy	58%	6.1%	30.7%	317	0.7 miles
Queensway Junior Academy	51%	6.2%	51.7%	141	0.8 miles
Queensway Infant Academy	—	8.3%	52%	101	0.8 miles
Drake Primary School	40%	5.6%	12.2%	413	0.9 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): 61.7%
English as an additional language: 28.7%
Overall absence: 7.79%
Persistent absence: 22.22%

Location

Nearby schools

Redcastle Family School
Primary · Thetford

0.4 miles
Norwich Road Academy
Primary · Thetford

0.7 miles
Queensway Junior Academy
Primary · Thetford

0.8 miles
Queensway Infant Academy
Primary · Thetford

0.8 miles
Drake Primary School
Primary · Thetford

0.9 miles

Other schools in Thetford

The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy ranks 16th of the 17 ranked primary schools in Thetford.

Admirals Academy Primary
Ashill Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
Drake Primary School Primary
Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School Primary
Edmund de Moundeford VC Primary School, Feltwell Primary
Elveden Church of England Primary Academy Primary
Great Hockham Primary School and Nursery Primary
Norwich Road Academy Primary
Parker's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
Queensway Infant Academy Primary
Queensway Junior Academy Primary
Raleigh Infant Academy Primary

Common questions

What ages does The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy teach?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Thetford.
Who is the headteacher of The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy?: The headteacher of The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is Mrs Heather Madsen, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
Has The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy been inspected?: Ofsted has inspected The Bishop's Church of England Primary 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 The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy has 330 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
Is The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy full?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy has capacity for 430 pupils and 330 on roll (77%), 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 Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy a faith school?: Yes. The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Norwich.
Does The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy have a nursery?: Yes. The schools register records The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy as having nursery classes.
Is The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy part of an academy trust?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy is part of THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
How have The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?: Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 22% in 2022/23 and 27% 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 Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy ranked 257th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 6% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 18% 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 Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's absence rate?: The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 7.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
What are The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy's exam results?: Where the Department for Education has published them, The Bishop's Church of England Primary 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 8 July 2026.