Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe

About Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe

Hillside Avenue Primary and Nursery School, Thorpe is a state primary in the Norfolk local authority, situated within the Broadland borough. Among the 35 primary schools in Broadland, it ranks 30th, placing it in the bottom half of the district. The top-performing peers in the same local authority include Ditchingham Church of England Primary Academy and Surlingham Primary School, both with perfect ranking scores, and Stalham Academy close behind. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Trowse Primary School, about 2.9 kilometres away. Hillside Avenue itself has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, with the most recent graded inspection in September 2022 awarding Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The school has a nursery provision on site, catering for children from age three, and is led by headteacher Christopher Hutchinson.

Academically, Hillside Avenue’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 44 per cent, below the Norfolk local authority average of 52 per cent. In individual subjects, reading fared best with 73 per cent reaching the expected standard and 24 per cent achieving a higher score, while maths saw 58 per cent at expected and 19 per cent at higher. Writing was weaker, with 56 per cent at expected and none at the higher level. Average scores were 105 in reading and 102 in maths. The school’s ranking nationally places it in the bottom 50 per cent of primaries. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is unclear how pupils’ gains compare with similar pupils nationally. The school does not have a sixth form, as it is a primary.

The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 86 applications for 40 places and 38 offers made to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.15. Facilities include an ICT suite, library, dining hall, playing fields, gymnasium, sports hall, and a chapel. Sports offered range from rounders and tennis to gymnastics and netball, while clubs include choir, eco club, drama, gardening, art club, and coding. The school provides for a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities, including support for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This breadth of SEND provision, combined with the nursery and a relatively low percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals at 7.2 per cent, suggests Hillside Avenue may suit families looking for an inclusive, community-focused primary with strong pastoral support, particularly those who value a full range of on-site facilities.

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