Hillside Primary School

About Hillside Primary School

Hillside Primary School in Great Yarmouth holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across its two most recent inspections. The most recent graded inspection, in October 2024, awarded Good marks for quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. However, the early years provision was rated Requires improvement, a drop from its previous Good rating in that area. The most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard: 57% of pupils achieved this, which sits above the Norfolk local authority average of 52%. That places Hillside 11th out of 27 primary schools in Great Yarmouth, putting it in the top half of its immediate borough. Nationally, the school ranks in the 63rd percentile among all state primaries, a solidly mid-table position.

Digging deeper into the 2023/24 KS2 results, reading stands out as a particular strength. 84% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, and 23% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 105. Writing and maths were weaker by comparison: 77% met the expected standard in writing and 58% in maths, with only 10% hitting the higher standard in each. Maths had an average scaled score of 101. The school has no progress scores published, so it is not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points. Parent feedback from the most recent Parent View survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, was broadly positive: 84% of the 37 respondents would recommend the school, and 94% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. A notable 94% also felt their child is safe.

Hillside is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a nursery on site. It is significantly oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 reception intake, there were 115 applications for 26 places, a ratio of 4.42 applicants per place, and 29 first-preference applications for those 26 spots. The school has a range of facilities including a gymnasium, library, sensory room, playing fields, music rooms, and a sports hall. Clubs on offer include science, coding, choir, chess and book club, while sports include tennis, gymnastics, rounders, athletics, cross country and football. The school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and physical disability. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 12.3%, slightly below the national average for primary schools.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Hillside Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents