St William's Primary School

About St William's Primary School

St William's Primary School in Broadland has a strong parent community, with 89% of respondents to the Parent View survey saying they would recommend the school. That's based on 66 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, and the detail behind it is reassuring: 91% of parents strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, and 94% felt their child is safe. The school is clearly popular locally too — for the 2025/26 intake, it received 103 applications for 46 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.24. All 45 first-preference applicants were offered a place, so while competition exists, being first-choice is a strong bet. Parents also reported high satisfaction with communication: 94% strongly agreed or agreed that the school lets them know how their child is doing, and 98% said the same about being made aware of what their child will learn.

Academically, St William's is a solid performer within Norfolk. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 59% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — above the local authority average of 52%. Reading and maths average scores were 105 and 103 respectively, with 34% of pupils achieving a higher standard in reading and 18% in maths. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in April 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained, and it retains its overall Good rating. That's a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2016, when it was rated Requires Improvement; leadership and management, along with early years provision, are now both rated Good. Nationally, the school sits in the bottom half of primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, but within Broadland it ranks 18th out of 35 — a respectable mid-table position.

The school offers a nursery provision for children from age three and caters for a range of special educational needs, including support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and visual impairment. Facilities include a forest school, sensory room, art studios, and a chapel, plus outdoor playgrounds and playing fields for sports like tennis, netball and football. Clubs such as film club, coding, chess and gardening run alongside the curriculum. With 414 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is running very close to full, and the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 11.4%. St William's is a good fit for families who want a well-regarded local primary with strong parental satisfaction, clear communication, and a broad offer of enrichment activities, all within a state-funded, non-religious setting.

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