Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School
Polka Road, Wells-Next-the-Sea, NR23 1JG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE WENSUM TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachel Stroulger
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Wensum Trust
- Constituency
- North Norfolk
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 197
- URN
- 144975
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01328710320
About this school
Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is a primary academy in Wells-next-the-Sea. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 197 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School, 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 32 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 38% | 33% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 66% | 75% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 47% | 59% | 40% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 63% | 50% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 98.0 | 101.0 | 98.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -6.10 | - | - |
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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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 | 47% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 38% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 33% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 225 |
| 2023/24 | 217 |
| 2024/25 | 202 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School compares
Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School ranked 247th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 33% | 6% | 24.3% | 197 | — |
| Walsingham CE VA Primary School | — | 6.5% | 65.4% | 30 | 3.8 miles |
| Burnham Market Primary and Nursery School | 61% | 7% | 29.4% | 111 | 5.1 miles |
| Langham Village School | 79% | 4.5% | 7.8% | 104 | 5.5 miles |
| Hindringham Church of England Primary School | — | 5% | 7.4% | 35 | 5.8 miles |
| Blakeney Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | — | 5.3% | 31% | 31 | 6.9 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report28 April 2026
- 18 January 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.29%
- English as an additional language
- 5.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.99%
- Persistent absence
- 16.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Walsingham CE VA Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Walsingham
-
Burnham Market Primary and Nursery School5.1 miles
Primary · King's Lynn
-
Langham Village School5.5 miles
Primary · Holt
-
Hindringham Church of England Primary School5.8 miles
Primary · Fakenham
-
Blakeney Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School6.9 miles
Primary · Holt
Other schools in Wells-next-the-Sea
- Alderman Peel High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School teach?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Wells-next-the-Sea.
- Who is the headteacher of Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School?
- The headteacher of Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School is Mrs Rachel Stroulger, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School has 197 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School full?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School has capacity for 240 pupils and 197 on roll (82%), 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 Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School a faith school?
- No. Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School has no designated religious character.
- Does Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- Is Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School part of an academy trust?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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.
- How have Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 47% in 2022/23 and 33% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School ranked 247th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 8% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's absence rate?
- Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery 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 15 July 2026.