Norwich Road Academy
Norwich Road, Thetford, IP24 2HT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- EASTERN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julia Miles
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Eastern Multi-Academy Trust
- Constituency
- South West Norfolk
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 472
- Pupils on roll
- 317
- URN
- 145029
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01842753279
About this school
Norwich Road Academy is a primary academy in Thetford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 317 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Norwich Road Academy, 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 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 46 | 51 | 43 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 56% | 59% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 69% | 72% |
| Expected standard in maths | 59% | 71% | 72% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 73% | 74% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -4.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.20 | - | - |
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 Norwich Road 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 | 56% | 49.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 59% | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 317 |
| 2023/24 | 339 |
| 2024/25 | 309 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Norwich Road Academy compares
Norwich Road Academy ranked 120th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 6.1% | 30.7% | 317 | — |
| Drake Primary School | 40% | 5.6% | 12.2% | 413 | 0.5 miles |
| Raleigh Infant Academy | — | 5.3% | 9.5% | 143 | 0.6 miles |
| Admirals Academy | 57% | 5.2% | 28.6% | 201 | 0.6 miles |
| The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy | 27% | 7.8% | 61.7% | 330 | 0.7 miles |
| Redcastle Family School | 70% | 5.3% | 40.5% | 277 | 0.7 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)
- 30.66%
- English as an additional language
- 58.6%
- Overall absence
- 6.13%
- Persistent absence
- 15.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Drake Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Raleigh Infant Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Admirals Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Thetford
-
Redcastle Family School0.7 miles
Primary · Thetford
Other schools in Thetford
Norwich Road Academy ranks 6th 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
- Parker's Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Queensway Infant Academy Primary
- Queensway Junior Academy Primary
- Raleigh Infant Academy Primary
- Redcastle Family School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Norwich Road Academy teach?
- Norwich Road Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Thetford.
- Who is the headteacher of Norwich Road Academy?
- The headteacher of Norwich Road Academy is Mrs Julia Miles, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Norwich Road Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Norwich Road 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 Norwich Road Academy?
- Norwich Road Academy has 317 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Norwich Road Academy full?
- Norwich Road Academy has capacity for 472 pupils and 317 on roll (67%), 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 Norwich Road Academy a faith school?
- No. Norwich Road Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Norwich Road Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Norwich Road Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Norwich Road Academy part of an academy trust?
- Norwich Road 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.
- How have Norwich Road Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 56% in 2022/23 and 58% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Norwich Road Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Norwich Road Academy ranked 120th of 266 primary schools in Norfolk for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Norwich Road Academy's absence rate?
- Norwich Road Academy's overall absence rate is 6.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Norwich Road Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Norwich Road 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 10 July 2026.