Downham Market Academy
Bexwell Road, Downham Market, PE38 9LL
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- EASTERN LEARNING ALLIANCE
- Headteacher
- Dr Natalie Paine
- Sponsor
- Eastern Learning Alliance
- Constituency
- South West Norfolk
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,567
- Pupils on roll
- 1,329
- URN
- 145196
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01366389100
About this school
Downham Market Academy is a secondary academy in Downham Market. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,329 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Downham Market 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 174 | 197 | 201 |
| Attainment 8 score | 40.5 | 43.3 | 43.8 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.23 -0.45 to -0.02 | -0.06 -0.26 to +0.14 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 30% | 43.1% | 35.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 59% | 62.9% | 59.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 43.1% | 23.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Downham Market 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 | 40.5 | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.3 | 39.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,209 |
| 2023/24 | 1,291 |
| 2024/25 | 1,333 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Downham Market Academy compares
Downham Market Academy ranked 34th of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 52% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43.8 | 9% | 26.9% | 1,329 | — |
| Iceni Secondary Academy | 39 | 11.3% | 24.4% | 555 | 8.8 miles |
| Thomas Clarkson Academy | 37.4 | 10.9% | 41.4% | 1,295 | 10.0 miles |
| The Wisbech Academy | — | 10.6% | 40.2% | 205 | 10.2 miles |
| King's Lynn Academy | 39.1 | 9.5% | 28.6% | 972 | 10.3 miles |
| Vista Academy Littleport | 38.8 | 8.9% | 29.3% | 547 | 10.5 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)
- 26.89%
- English as an additional language
- 6.3%
- Overall absence
- 9.01%
- Persistent absence
- 24.27%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Iceni Secondary Academy8.8 miles
Secondary · Thetford
-
Thomas Clarkson Academy10.0 miles
Secondary · Wisbech
-
The Wisbech Academy10.2 miles
Secondary · Wisbech
-
King's Lynn Academy10.3 miles
Secondary · King's Lynn
-
Vista Academy Littleport10.5 miles
Secondary · Ely
Other schools in Downham Market
- Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School Primary
- Hilgay Riverside Academy Primary
- Nelson Academy Primary
- Southery Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Downham Market Academy teach?
- Downham Market Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Downham Market.
- Who is the headteacher of Downham Market Academy?
- The headteacher of Downham Market Academy is Dr Natalie Paine, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Downham Market Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Downham Market 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 Downham Market Academy?
- Downham Market Academy has 1,329 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Downham Market Academy full?
- Downham Market Academy has capacity for 1,567 pupils and 1,329 on roll (85%), 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 Downham Market Academy a faith school?
- No. Downham Market Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Downham Market Academy part of an academy trust?
- Downham Market Academy is part of EASTERN LEARNING ALLIANCE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Downham Market Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 40.5 in 2022/23 and 43.8 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Downham Market Academy compare with other schools in Norfolk?
- Downham Market Academy ranked 34th of 53 secondary schools in Norfolk for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 52% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 11% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Downham Market Academy's absence rate?
- Downham Market Academy's overall absence rate is 9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Downham Market Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Downham Market 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.