Norwood Primary School

About Norwood Primary School

Norwood Primary School is a popular choice among local families, and the numbers back that up. For the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 73 applications for just 30 places, giving it an oversubscription ratio of 2.43. Of those applicants, 32 put Norwood as their first preference, and all 30 places went to first-preference families. That level of demand suggests a school that parents in Peterborough actively want their children to attend. While the school doesn't publish a formal parent satisfaction survey, the high application numbers relative to capacity are a strong signal that it holds a good reputation locally. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a current roll of 208 pupils against a capacity of 210, so it is running very close to full. Headteacher Deborah Reynolds leads a school where 36.5 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average, yet the school continues to attract strong interest from families across the area.

Academically, Norwood performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 77 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Peterborough average of just 59 per cent. That places the school 5th out of 53 primary schools in the local authority, putting it in the top 10 per cent of its LA peers. Nationally, it ranks in the top 17 per cent of all primary schools. Looking at individual subjects, 83 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and writing, and 80 per cent in maths. At the higher standard, 17 per cent achieved the top marks across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 105 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023 rated it Good across all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. It has held a Good rating since at least its previous inspection in 2012.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including playing fields, a sports hall, music rooms, art studios, a library, a dining hall, and a forest school area. Sports on offer include netball, football, cricket, swimming and athletics, while clubs cover gardening, chess, coding and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, Norwood has a broad set of SEND provisions, including support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school does not have a nursery or a sixth form, and it is not a boarding school. Its religious character is listed as 'does not apply'. Given its strong academic results, high demand for places, and comprehensive SEND support, Norwood is a particularly good fit for families who want a well-regarded local primary with a proven track record of exceeding LA averages, especially those who can secure a place through the first-preference round.

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