SchoolFacts.uk

Charles Darwin Primary School

Primary · Norwich · NR1 1DJ

Data updated

⇄ Compare with another school
Outstanding (2019)

Last grade Ofsted published, no newer grade exists

Ofsted graded this school Outstanding in 2019. Every inspection since has been ungraded, and an ungraded inspection cannot change a grade. The most recent found “Standards maintained”. Ofsted's current data file lists only graded inspections from September 2019 onwards, so this grade has dropped out of it, but it is still the school's grade of record, and still on Ofsted's own report page. Treat an Outstanding of this age with care: Outstanding schools were exempt from routine re-inspection until 2020, so these grades are among the oldest on record.

Inspected 25 June 2019

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

465 pupils · 111% of 420 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Free schools
Age range
2–11
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
21.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
42.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
9.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.6% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
www.charlesdarwinprimary.org
URN
142871

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 59 families named it first for 58 Reception places, 1.02 first choices per place. The last grade Ofsted published for it is Outstanding, from 2019. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.6% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

1.02 first-choice applications per place

58 places offered · 59 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

58 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
81%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
21%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
108
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
108
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school81%
Median of its 12 closest peers67.5%
Norfolk average56.2%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Bowes Primary SchoolLondon · 93 miles awayOutstanding87%
William Torbitt Primary SchoolIlford · 89 miles awayGood64%
Pelham Primary SchoolBexleyheath · 95 miles awayGood66%
Queen Emma Primary SchoolCambridge · 57 miles awayGood71%
Charlton Wood Primary AcademyBristol · 181 miles awayGood66%
Bandon Hill Primary SchoolWallington · 107 miles awayGood65%
St Teresa's Catholic Primary SchoolMorden · 106 miles awayStrong standard77%
Avenue Primary SchoolLeicester · 102 miles awayGood (2016)61%
Parklea Primary SchoolLuton · 89 miles awayGood69%
North Primary School and NurseryColchester · 53 miles awayGood47%
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary SchoolLondon · 101 miles awayOutstanding85%
Oak View Primary and Nursery SchoolHatfield · 88 miles awayGood70%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 32% (Norfolk 79%, England 60%) · Asian Indian 23% (Norfolk 2%, England 4%) · Black African 11% (Norfolk 3%, England 5%) · Not recorded 7% (Norfolk 1%, England 1%) · Any other White background 6% (Norfolk 7%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 5% (Norfolk 1%, England 3%) · Any other Asian background 3% (Norfolk 1%, England 2%) · Any other Mixed background 3% (Norfolk 2%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Norfolk 1%, England 2%) · Asian Chinese 2% (Norfolk 0%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black African 2% (Norfolk 1%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 1% (Norfolk 0%, England 5%) · Black Caribbean 1% (Norfolk 0%, England 1%) · other groups together 1%

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
5.6%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
11.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

1.35 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Norfolk: 5.56 suspensions and 0.10 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
25
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

85% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 10% moved to another state school · 5% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, primary academies: 0.3% vacant, 0.32% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

90.5% of teachers took sickness absence, 9.7 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £49,916; 31.6% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£6,749
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 73% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 17% (8%) · supplies and services 7% (9%) · educational supplies 2% (4%) · bought-in professional services 1% (2%) · catering 4% (5%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £0; in-year balance +£226,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher43.8%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications11.7%18.1%
In managerial or professional work36.3%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways18.2%18.1%
Residents in very good health38.9%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier26.1%62.3%
Social housing8.7%17.1%
Privately rented65.2%20.5%
Detached houses0.8%22.9%
Flats68.7%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.4%21.1%
Households with no car or van50.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01035137 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£201,000650 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£150,000–£273,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (21)£450,000
Semi-detached (35)£265,000
Terraced (177)£253,000
Flat (417)£170,000

Homes around this school are cheaper than three quarters of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
9an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
78an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
19an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools