Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #41 in Norfolk public Top 34% UK

Smithdon High School

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

personMrs Amanda Gibbins

corporate_fareWEST NORFOLK ACADEMIES TRUST

location_onHunstanton, PE36 5HY

language Visit Website phone 1485534541

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

groups

Students

612

trending_up

Attainment 8

40.3

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#42 in Norfolk

#2,500 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Smithdon High School is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in Hunstanton, serving ages 11-16. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Smithdon High School is an academy sponsor led in Hunstanton, Norfolk, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It is part of WEST NORFOLK ACADEMIES TRUST. The school has approximately 564 pupils on roll, of whom 24% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.3, placing the school #42 in Norfolk and #2,500 of 3,216 nationally. 27.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 9.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 1.0× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 8.9 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

40.3

Grade 5+ E&M

27.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)9.9%

Entering EBacc57.40%

EBacc APS3.71

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

39.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47.50%

EBacc APS3.59

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.07

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS3.69

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

41.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc11%

EBacc APS3.49

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.72

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.13

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc16%

EBacc APS3.93

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)74%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment10%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

90%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)78%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)10%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment12%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

07 November 2023

Inspection Report

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01 October 2019

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-11-07

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-10-01

Academy First Section 5 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2014-06-12

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-11-29

None Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

Requires improvement

history Predecessor Link

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

7.8%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

5.7%(32 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: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 564 pupils. During this period, there were 44 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 7.8%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	564	44	7.8%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	564	56	9.9%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	571	33	5.8%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	581	45	7.7%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	578	71	12.3%	8.2%	1
2022/23 (Summer term)	603	68	11.3%	6.6%	2
2022/23 (Spring term)	612	68	11.1%	6.4%	3
2022/23 (Autumn term)	611	82	13.4%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	599	16	2.7%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	609	14	2.3%	4.9%	2
2021/22 (Autumn term)	609	29	4.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	600	21	3.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	601	8	1.3%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	599	19	3.2%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	617	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	617	13	2.1%	3.2%	1
2019/20 (Autumn term)	625	22	3.5%	4.2%	1
2018/19 (Summer term)	567	16	2.8%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	571	32	5.6%	3.8%	2
2018/19 (Autumn term)	575	50	8.7%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	579	22	3.8%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	583	18	3.1%	3.0%	2
2017/18 (Autumn term)	593	7	1.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	592	9	1.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	599	18	3.0%	3.3%	4

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 55 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 38 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 17 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 11 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 9 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

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Smithdon High School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary 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)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Norfolk

Notre Dame High School, Norwich

Hethersett Academy

Wymondham College

Jane Austen College

Wymondham High Academy

Wayland Academy