Sprowston Community Academy

About Sprowston Community Academy

Sprowston Community Academy is a popular choice among local families, with 271 first-preference applications for 301 total places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.64 applicants per place. This level of demand suggests parents see real value here, though it is worth noting that the school does not have official parent view data to back up that sentiment. The school is a large secondary in Broadland, Norfolk, with 1,739 pupils on roll and a capacity of 1,767, so it is running close to full. Around 21.8% of students are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national average and gives a sense of the community it serves. The headteacher, Liz Wood, leads a mixed, non-religious state school with no boarding or nursery provision, and the school has its own sixth form.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. However, its sixth form provision was rated Requires improvement, which is a notable weak spot. At Key Stage 4, the school’s Progress 8 score was -0.39, which is below average nationally and places it in the bottom 50% of schools. This is also significantly below the Norfolk local authority average of -0.02. The Attainment 8 score was 41.7, and just 37.4% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate was low at 12.1%, with only 6.8% achieving the full EBacc at grade 5 or above. At A-level, the average points per entry was 22.8, equivalent to a D+ grade, and the value added score was -0.11, which is in the average banding.

The school offers a wide range of facilities, including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a sports hall, and a sixth form centre, plus a chapel on site. Sports on offer include netball, hockey, rugby, dance, martial arts, and athletics, while clubs range from drama and choir to gardening, debate, and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes it a potentially good fit for families who want a large, well-resourced school with strong pastoral and SEND support, but who are comfortable with academic results that are below the local average. The school ranks 6th out of 7 schools in Broadland on Progress 8, and 41st out of 57 similar schools across Norfolk.

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