Freethorpe Community Primary and Nursery School

About Freethorpe Community Primary and Nursery School

Freethorpe Community Primary and Nursery School is a state-funded mixed primary in the Broadland area of Norfolk, currently educating 156 pupils against a capacity of 202. That leaves a fair amount of physical room, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 19 applications for just 14 places, with all 14 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.36. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals sits at 15.4%, which is worth noting in the context of the national primary average of around 23% — so the school serves a slightly less disadvantaged cohort than many. Headteacher Shefa Roberts leads a school that also offers nursery provision for children from age two, and the site includes facilities like a sensory room, forest school area, music rooms, and an ICT suite. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, rated it Good across every graded category, including early years provision, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Academically, Freethorpe’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 67%, which is well above the Norfolk local authority average of 52%. That places the school 11th out of 35 primary schools in the Broadland district, and in the top 50% nationally. Reading was a particular strength, with 94% of pupils reaching the expected standard and 22% achieving a higher score. Maths followed with 78% at expected and 22% at higher. Writing was weaker: 78% at expected but 0% at the higher standard. Average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 104 in maths. Progress measures are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds relative to starting points, but the attainment figures are solidly above the local norm. The school does not have a sixth form, as it is a primary.

Parent feedback from the Parent View survey (29 responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025) is broadly positive but with some notable splits. 90% of parents said their child is happy at the school (combining strongly agree and agree), and 90% felt their child is safe. However, only 76% would recommend the school to another parent. Communication is a sticking point: just 48% agreed that the school lets them know how their child is doing, and 48% felt the school makes them aware of what their child will learn. On SEND support, the survey recorded zero responses for the question, which may reflect a small SEND cohort. The school does list provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health, speech and language communication, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Clubs include art, book, chess, eco and gardening, while sports on offer range from football and netball to swimming and cross country. For families in the Broadland area seeking a Good-rated primary with nursery provision, strong reading outcomes and a clear oversubscription signal, Freethorpe is a competitive option — though parents may want to probe communication practices before applying.

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