Gayton Church of England Primary Academy

About Gayton Church of England Primary Academy

Gayton Church of England Primary Academy is a state primary school in the Norfolk local authority, serving 175 pupils aged 5 to 11 in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. It sits within a competitive local landscape where the top-performing peers in the same authority include Ditchingham Church of England Primary Academy, Surlingham Primary School, and Stalham Academy. The school's ranking in Norfolk places it 175th out of 344 same-type schools, and within the King's Lynn and West Norfolk area it ranks 37th out of 58 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate borough. The school has a Church of England religious character and is led by headteacher Niamh Allitt. It is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 27 places available and 41 total applications, including 27 first-preference applications, resulting in an oversubscription ratio of 1.52. This level of demand suggests that Gayton holds a solid reputation among local families, despite its middling rank within the wider LA.

In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2012, Gayton was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and a Good for early years provision. An ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed the school remains Good. Academic outcomes at Key Stage 2, based on 2023/24 results, show that 47% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which is below the Norfolk LA average of 52%. In individual subjects, 58% reached the expected standard in reading, 63% in writing, and 68% in maths. Higher-standard attainment was more varied: 26% achieved higher in reading, but only 5% in writing and none in maths. Average scaled scores were 104 for reading and 101 for maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 50% of primaries on the KS2 combined measure, at the 82nd percentile, and within the East of England region it sits at the 78th percentile. There is no Progress 8 data available for this primary phase.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, sports hall, art studios, playing fields, library, forest school, and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, athletics, netball, football, cricket, and swimming, while extracurricular clubs include drama, book club, choir, chess, film club, and gardening. SEND support is available for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and physical disabilities. With 23.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a relatively diverse intake in terms of socio-economic background. Gayton is a day school only, with no nursery or sixth form provision. It will suit families in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk area who value a Church of England primary with a strong sense of community, a broad range of activities, and a clear focus on supporting pupils with additional needs, even if its academic outcomes are slightly below the local average.

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