St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School

About St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School

St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School in Norwich was rated Good overall in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, with the early years provision judged Outstanding. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard, which sits at 73% — well above the Norfolk local authority average of 52%. That performance places the school first out of 22 primary schools in Norwich, and in the top 25% nationally. In reading, 87% of pupils reached the expected standard and 35% achieved the higher standard; in maths, 82% hit the expected mark and 27% reached the higher tier. Writing expected attainment was 81%, though only 6% reached the higher standard. The average reading score was 108 and maths 106, both above the national benchmark of 100. In its ungraded inspection in July 2024, Ofsted confirmed the school remains Good and is improving, with a next step of Section 5 inspection.

The school’s leadership and management were rated Good, and the early years provision Outstanding, which suggests strong foundations for children entering Reception. With 423 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is effectively full. It is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 112 applications for 57 places, with 56 first-preference offers made — an oversubscription ratio of nearly 2:1. That level of demand reflects the school’s strong local reputation. The school serves a relatively affluent intake, with just 10.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, below the national average. It is a Roman Catholic voluntary-aided school, so faith-based admissions criteria will apply. The school does not have a nursery or sixth form, and is not a boarding school.

Facilities include a chapel, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room, a library, a sports hall and playing fields. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming, athletics, tennis, rounders and dance. Clubs range from eco club and chess to coding, film club, book club and art club. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, social, emotional and mental health needs, dyslexia and severe learning difficulty. This combination of strong academic outcomes, faith-based ethos, wide-ranging enrichment and solid SEND support makes St Francis of Assisi a strong fit for Catholic families in Norwich who want a high-performing primary with a community feel and good facilities. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is West Earlham Infant and Nursery School, 1.7 km away.

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