Fairhaven Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About Fairhaven Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Fairhaven Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School sits within the Norfolk local authority, in the Broadland area, and is one of 344 primary schools of its type across the LA. When ranked by the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, it places 17th out of 35 schools in Broadland, putting it in the bottom half of its immediate local peers. The top-performing schools in the same LA include Surlingham Primary School, Ditchingham Church of England Primary Academy and Ashleigh Primary School and Nursery in Wymondham, all of which score higher on the same metric. Fairhaven is a small school with 99 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, and it has a Church of England religious character. Headteacher Stephanie Lake leads a mixed-gender primary for children aged 4 to 11, and the school does not have a nursery or sixth form. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 25 applications for 17 places and 16 first-preference offers made.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024, Fairhaven was judged Good across all graded areas, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, with early years provision also rated Good. The previous inspection in 2015 had also rated overall effectiveness as Good, so the school has maintained a consistent standard. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 59% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is above the Norfolk LA average of 52%. However, only 6% achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. Reading scores were stronger, with 65% reaching the expected level and 47% hitting the higher standard, while in maths the expected rate was 59% and the higher rate just 6%. Writing saw 65% at expected and 12% at higher. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 100 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the 59th percentile among all primary schools.

Parent feedback from the Ofsted Parent View survey, based on 51 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is largely positive. 90% of parents would recommend the school. Strong majorities agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy (87%) and feels safe (93%), and 94% said their child can take part in clubs and activities. The school offers a range of clubs including drama, choir, chess, film club, coding and art club, and sports such as football, athletics, dance, netball, cricket, gymnastics and tennis. Facilities include a sensory room, sports hall, library, chapel, dining hall, outdoor playground and playing fields. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. 27% of responding parents said their child has SEND, and 78% of those agreed or strongly agreed that the school provides the support needed. Fairhaven is a good fit for families seeking a small, Church of England primary with strong parent satisfaction and above-average KS2 outcomes in a village setting, though those wanting a higher proportion of pupils reaching the top standards may want to look at the higher-ranked peers in the area.

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