Firside Junior School
Firside Junior School, Middletons Lane, Norwich, NR6 5NF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE WENSUM TRUST
- Head of School
- Mrs Rosalind Robinson
- Sponsor
- The Wensum Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Norwich North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 346
- Pupils on roll
- 327
- URN
- 142840
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603426550
About this school
Firside Junior School is a primary academy in Norwich. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 327 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Firside Junior 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 12 March 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 91 | 89 | 89 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 69% | 71% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 2% | 1% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 87% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 88% | 83% | 89% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 75% | 76% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.10 | - | - |
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 Firside Junior 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 | 69% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 357 |
| 2023/24 | 359 |
| 2024/25 | 345 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Firside Junior School compares
Firside Junior School ranked 50th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 5.1% | 15.7% | 327 | — |
| Heather Avenue Infant School | — | 6.2% | 16.7% | 99 | 0.5 miles |
| Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.6% | 3.9% | 173 | 0.6 miles |
| Kinsale Junior School | 63% | 5.1% | 24.7% | 217 | 0.6 miles |
| Kinsale Infant School | — | — | — | 110 | 0.6 miles |
| Catton Grove Primary School | 54% | 6.5% | 49% | 639 | 1.1 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)
- 15.65%
- English as an additional language
- 9.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.12%
- Persistent absence
- 10.92%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Heather Avenue Infant School0.5 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School0.6 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Kinsale Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Kinsale Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Catton Grove Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
Firside Junior School ranks 19th of the 102 ranked primary schools in Norwich.
- Acle Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Aldborough Primary School Primary
- Alpington and Bergh Apton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Angel Road Infant School Primary
- Angel Road Junior School Primary
- Antingham and Southrepps Primary School Primary
- Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Aslacton Primary School Primary
- Avenue Junior School Primary
- Bacton Primary School Primary
- Banham Primary School Primary
- Barford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Firside Junior School teach?
- Firside Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Norwich.
- Who is the head of school of Firside Junior School?
- The head of school of Firside Junior School is Mrs Rosalind Robinson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Firside Junior School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Firside Junior 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 Firside Junior School?
- Firside Junior School has 327 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Firside Junior School full?
- Firside Junior School has capacity for 346 pupils and 327 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Firside Junior School a faith school?
- No. Firside Junior School has no designated religious character.
- Does Firside Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Firside Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Firside Junior School part of an academy trust?
- Firside Junior 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.
- What SEN provision does Firside Junior School have?
- The schools register lists Firside Junior School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Firside Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 69% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Firside Junior School compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Firside Junior School ranked 50th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Firside Junior School's absence rate?
- Firside Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Firside Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Firside Junior 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 2 July 2026.