Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #60 in Norfolk public Top 53% UK

Nelson Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Sarah Wilson

corporate_fareEASTERN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST

location_onDownham Market, PE38 9PF

language Visit Website phone 1366383824

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2016

groups

Students

415

school

Expected Standard

63%

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Demand Ratio

0.8x

summarize

Nelson Academy is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Downham Market, serving ages 3-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 53% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Nelson Academy is an academy sponsor led in Downham Market, Norfolk, admitting pupils aged 3-11. It is part of EASTERN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 403 pupils on roll, of whom 35% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 63% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 4% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #60 of 265 primaries in Norfolk and #6,074 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2016. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.1 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

63%

LA 53%

Reading70% LA 69%

Writing67% LA 63%

Maths67% LA 66%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

100

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

66%

LA 49%England 61%

Reading75% LA 69% · Eng 74%

Writing75% LA 59% · Eng 72%

Maths78% LA 64% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

58%

LA 49%England 60%

Reading58% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Writing65% LA 61% · Eng 71%

Maths75% LA 63% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

-3.2

Read

LA -0.8

-4.9 to -1.6

-0.9

Write

LA -1.7

-2.5 to 0.7

0.3

Maths

LA -1.5

-1.3 to 1.8

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

71%

LA 58%England 65%

Reading75% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Writing78% LA 73% · Eng 78%

Maths76% LA 71% · Eng 79%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

103

Progress (0 = national avg)

0.9

Read

LA -0.9

-0.7 to 2.5

1.9

Write

LA -1.1

0.5 to 3.4

1.6

Maths

LA -1.5

0.2 to 3.0

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

79%

LA 57%

Reading81% LA 70%

Writing83% LA 73%

Maths86% LA 68%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.1

Read

LA -0.8

-0.7 to 2.9

1.7

Write

LA -0.9

0 to 3.4

1.8

Maths

LA -1.3

0.1 to 3.5

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

08 November 2022

Inspection Report

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30 November 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2016-11-30

Academy First Section 5 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-11-13

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.2%(1 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 403 pupils. During this period, there were 3 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.7%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	403	3	0.7%	0.8%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	394	6	1.5%	0.9%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	425	1	0.2%	0.8%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	417	0	0.0%	0.7%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	401	0	0.0%	0.8%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	428	3	0.7%	0.7%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	415	5	1.2%	0.6%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	394	2	0.5%	0.6%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	422	0	0.0%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	421	7	1.7%	0.5%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	408	5	1.2%	0.5%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	419	2	0.5%	0.4%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	418	0	0.0%	0.1%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	422	3	0.7%	0.4%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	417	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	417	8	1.9%	0.4%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	427	8	1.9%	0.6%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	442	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	428	2	0.5%	0.5%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	422	4	0.9%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	421	4	1.0%	0.5%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	411	1	0.2%	0.4%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	399	2	0.5%	0.5%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	407	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	399	0	0.0%	0.4%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	391	1	0.3%	0.5%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Speech, Language & Communication 41 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 20 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 10 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 3 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

97.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

93.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree40%

agree47%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

don't know7%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree50%

agree43%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree27%

agree27%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

not applicable40%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree57%

agree27%

disagree7%

don't know10%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree63%

agree30%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree30%

agree50%

disagree13%

strongly disagree7%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree33%

disagree3%

don't know10%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree53%

agree37%

disagree10%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree40%

agree40%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

don't know13%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes93%

no7%

Top Primary Schools in Norfolk

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Ashleigh Primary School and Nursery, Wymondham

Outstanding

location_on Wymondham, NR18 0HL

emoji_events #1 in LA

Stalham Academy

Good

location_on Norwich, NR12 9PS

emoji_events #2 in LA

Charles Darwin Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Norwich, NR1 1DJ

emoji_events #3 in LA

Marshland St James Primary and Nursery School

Good

location_on Wisbech, PE14 8EY

emoji_events #4 in LA

North Wootton Academy

Good

location_on King's Lynn, PE30 3PT

emoji_events #5 in LA

Stradbroke Primary Academy

Good

location_on Great Yarmouth, NR31 6LZ

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Norfolk arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Norfolk

Ashleigh Primary School and Nursery, Wymondham

Stalham Academy

Charles Darwin Primary School

Marshland St James Primary and Nursery School

North Wootton Academy

Stradbroke Primary Academy