Charles Darwin Primary School
81 Rose Lane, Norwich, NR1 1DJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- INSPIRATION TRUST
- Principal
- Ms Maxine Sebire
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Inspiration Trust
- Constituency
- Norwich South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 465
- URN
- 142871
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01603733166
About this school
Charles Darwin Primary School is a primary academy in Norwich. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 465 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 30 April 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 | 58 | 58 | 58 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 81% | 71% | 81% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 12% | 21% |
| Expected standard in reading | 81% | 76% | 84% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 76% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 74% | 72% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.40 | - | - |
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 Charles Darwin Primary 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 | 81% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 81% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 409 |
| 2023/24 | 466 |
| 2024/25 | 443 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Charles Darwin Primary School compares
Charles Darwin Primary School ranked 15th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 81% | 4.7% | 18.7% | 465 | — |
| The Free School Norwich | 46% | 5.6% | 21.1% | 180 | 0.5 miles |
| Lionwood Infant and Nursery School | — | 5.4% | 24.3% | 212 | 0.6 miles |
| Lionwood Junior School | 45% | 7.4% | 38.1% | 239 | 0.7 miles |
| Bignold Primary School and Nursery | 57% | 5.9% | 28.3% | 399 | 0.7 miles |
| Magdalen Gates Primary School | 62% | 6.2% | 26.3% | 194 | 0.8 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)
- 18.67%
- English as an additional language
- 42.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.65%
- Persistent absence
- 12.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Free School Norwich0.5 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Lionwood Infant and Nursery School0.6 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Lionwood Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Bignold Primary School and Nursery0.7 miles
Primary · Norwich
-
Magdalen Gates Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Norwich
Other schools in Norwich
Charles Darwin Primary School ranks 8th 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 year groups does Charles Darwin Primary School teach?
- Charles Darwin Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Norwich.
- Who is the principal of Charles Darwin Primary School?
- The principal of Charles Darwin Primary School is Ms Maxine Sebire, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Charles Darwin Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Charles Darwin Primary 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 big is Charles Darwin Primary School?
- Charles Darwin Primary School has 465 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Charles Darwin Primary School full?
- Charles Darwin Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 465 on roll (111%), 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 Charles Darwin Primary School a faith school?
- No. Charles Darwin Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Is Charles Darwin Primary School a selective school?
- No. Charles Darwin Primary School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Charles Darwin Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Charles Darwin Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Charles Darwin Primary School?
- Charles Darwin Primary School 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 Charles Darwin Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 81% in 2022/23 and 81% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Charles Darwin Primary School rank locally?
- Charles Darwin Primary School ranked 15th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 89% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Charles Darwin Primary School's absence rate?
- Charles Darwin Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Charles Darwin Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Charles Darwin Primary 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.