Norton Primary Academy

About Norton Primary Academy

Parents at Norton Primary Academy are overwhelmingly positive about their experience. In the most recent Parent View survey, covering September 2024 to September 2025, 95% of the 42 respondents said they would recommend the school. That is a very strong signal. The detail backs it up: 93% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, and 98% felt their child is safe. The school is also popular on the ground. For 2025/26 admissions, Norton received 46 applications for 32 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.44. All 32 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which suggests that while the school is in demand, families who put it first are likely to get in. The headteacher, Michelle Randall-Harris, leads a school where 40.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, yet parents report high satisfaction with behaviour, communication, and the range of activities on offer.

Academically, Norton Primary Academy performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 81% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Stockton-on-Tees average of 66%. That places the school 11th out of 55 primary schools in the local authority, putting it in the top 20% locally. Nationally, it ranks in the top 10% of all primary schools. Results in individual subjects are strong: 94% met the expected standard in reading, 92% in maths, and 81% in writing. At the higher standard, 48% of pupils achieved that level in reading, 31% in maths, and 6% in writing. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in January 2025, found that the school had improved significantly since its previous graded inspection in 2019, when it was rated Good overall. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and support. There is a forest school, sensory room, art studios, a gymnasium, and playing fields. Clubs include film, book, art, coding, chess, and gardening, while sports provision covers cricket, rounders, swimming, and netball. For children with additional needs, Norton lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, multi-sensory impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school has a nursery for children from age three and runs up to Year 6. With a capacity of 420 and 344 pupils on roll, there is some headroom, though the oversubscription suggests it is a popular choice. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-regarded state primary with strong academic outcomes, a supportive environment for SEND pupils, and a parent community that feels engaged and positive.

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