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State secondary · 11 to 16 · Mixed · 579 pupils

Smithdon High School

Downs Road, Hunstanton, PE36 5HY · Norfolk
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COULD YOUR CHILD GET IN? · YEAR 7 2027

We hold no offer-day distances for this school yet. Enter your postcode to see how far it is from your home.

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Ofsted: Good · November 2023(43/53)Fewer first choices than places (2026)
School website ↗Google Maps ↗Directions ↗Ofsted reports ↗DfE results ↗Government register ↗

Summary

The key facts, in one place
GCSE (key stage 4) The league rank: the school's place among its council's schools of the same phase on the newest year's DfE results, the same rank as on the Schools map. In England: 2,422nd of 3,223 on the same figure. Band: Lower half.
(43/53)Rank among 53 Norfolk secondaries with results, 2026 results (Attainment 8)
See the Norfolk league table →
Inspection
Good, November 2023
Getting in
Not full for Year 7 2026
Results
-0.41 progress 8; 41.3 attainment 8
Size
579 pupils; 95 places a year; classes of 25
Run by
West Norfolk Academies Trust
Type
Academy sponsor led
Ages
11 to 16 · Mixed
Ofsted, November 2023The judgements from the school's latest inspection. Reports from November 2025 use Ofsted's new report card, with different headings; we show whichever the latest report uses.Read the report ↗
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Leadership and managementGood
Strengths, and things to check
  • Progress 8: -0.41, against -0.02 in Norfolk.
  • Attainment 8: 41.3, against 45.6 in Norfolk.
  • English and maths, grade 5+: 40%, against 44% in Norfolk.
  • Sessions missed: 12.3%, against 9.0% in Norfolk.
Schools for usRank every school near you by the measures that matter to your family, each reason shown.Rank schools →

At a glance

Against Norfolk and England
This schoolNorfolkEnglandHover or tap a bar for the figures
Academic
Progress 8How far pupils progressed between the end of primary school and GCSEs, against pupils across England who started at the same level. 0 is average; +0.5 means half a grade better in each subject.
-0.41
Worse than Norfolk
Attainment 8The average GCSE score across eight subjects, including English and maths counted twice. A grade 5 in all eight would score 50.
41.3
Worse than Norfolk
English and maths, grade 5+The share of pupils with grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE (a strong pass).
40%
Worse than Norfolk
Attendance and behaviour
Sessions missedHalf-day sessions missed, authorised or not, as a share of all sessions in the school year (DfE pupil absence). Lower is better.
12.3%
Worse than Norfolk
Persistently absentPupils who missed one session in ten or more. Lower is better.
34.2%
Worse than Norfolk
Suspensions per 100 pupilsSuspensions in the school year for every 100 pupils on roll. Lower is better; one or two incidents move a small school a lot.
21.1
In line with Norfolk
Pupils and classes
Average class sizeAverage pupils per class, from the school census. Shown for context, not as a score.
25.1
Context
Free school mealsPupils eligible for free school meals. Context for reading the results, not a measure of the school.
27%
Context
Pupils for each teacherPupils on roll for each full-time teacher, from the school workforce census. Shown for context.
18.5
Context
Demand for places
First choices per placeFamilies who put this school first, for each Year 7 place in 2026 (DfE applications and offers). Above 1 means more first choices than places.
0.9
In line with Norfolk
Norfolk and England: DfE's own averages for results. For the rest, the middle state secondary school of the same phase, from every school we hold, since DfE publishes no council figure we hold.Where these figures come from →

Overview

Getting in

  • 90 families put it first for 95 places; every one of them got in DfE, school applications and offers · Year 7 2026
  • We hold a catchment map for this school.
  • We can't tell how far Year 7 places reached: we hold no offer-day figures for this school. Ask the council or the school for the last distance offered.

Quality

  • Good Ofsted · inspected 7 November 2023
  • Progress 8: -0.41 (England +0.01) (county -0.02) DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024
  • Attainment 8: 41.3 (England 47.4) (county 45.6) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • English and maths grade 5 or above: 40% (England 48%) (county 44%) DfE school performance tables · 2025/2026
  • Progress, set against pupils who started with the same results: below average DfE school performance tables · 2023/2024

Daily life

  • Absence: 12% of sessions missed; 34% of pupils miss 1 in 10 or more. Schools with a similar intake: 8.5% and 24% DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level · 2024/25
  • Suspensions: 21 per 100 pupils (schools with a similar intake: 17); 0 permanent exclusions DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level · 2024/25
  • Classes average 25.1 pupils; 0.0% of classes have more than 30 DfE, school workforce and pupil census · 2025/26
  • 18.5 pupils for each teacher DfE, school workforce · November 2025
  • Nearest stops, in a straight line: bus 71 m DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes) · within 800 m
  • 4 police-reported road collisions within 500 m (0 fatal, 0 serious) DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years · 2021 to 2025
  • Air: nitrogen dioxide 4.3 µg/m³, PM2.5 6.4 (1 km square, background level) DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps · 2024

Who runs it

  • West Norfolk Academies Trust, with 11 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined January 2017
  • Opened as an academy (sponsored) on 1 January 2017 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Smithdon High School (URN 121157) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 23 August 2016
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Getting in

How far offers reached

How far away the last child offered a place under the distance rule lived, as the council measures it. It changes every year with who applies: a record, not a promise. Children with a higher priority can be offered places from further away.

Year 7. Distance of the last child offered a place on offer day. What the last distance means →

Applications and offers, DfE

EntryYearPlacesFirst choicesAny choiceFirst choices offered
Year 72026959012290
Year 720251019812793
Year 72024101100112100
Year 72023110110121110
Year 72022112109131109
Year 72021122118132118
Year 72020999511695
Year 72019131128148128
Year 72018135129146129
Year 72017115109123109

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence), 2017 to 2026. Families name up to three schools, so most applications are somebody's second or third choice.

Could you get in?Enter a home or postcode: we set it against every year's last offer and this school's rules.

Results

Results

MeasureThis schoolEnglandCouncilYear
Progress 8-0.41+0.01-0.022023/2024
Attainment 841.347.445.62025/2026
English and maths grade 5 or above40%48%44%2025/2026

Source: DfE school performance tables, 2023/2024, 2025/2026.

League table place

TableLeague rank
GCSE (key stage 4)(43/53)

Source: DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase.

Inspections

DateKindOutcome
7 November 2023Graded inspectionGood

Source: Ofsted, 2023.

Where leavers go

StageLeavers inPupilsIn a sustained placeOf which
After GCSEs2023/2412091%In education 82%; Apprenticeship 2.5%; Employment 6.7%
After GCSEs2022/2312589%In education 74%; Apprenticeship 4.8%; Employment 9.6%
After GCSEs2021/2212089%In education 78%; Apprenticeship 4.2%; Employment 7.5%

Source: DfE, destination measures. A figure DfE hides for a small group is left out, not shown as nought. The newest year may be provisional.

Norfolk league tableEvery school of this phase in the council on these results.See the table →

Daily life

Absence

YearSessions missedAuthorisedUnauthorisedPupils missing 1 in 10Pupils missing 1 in 2
2024/2512%7.8%4.5%34%7.2%
2023/2413%8.4%4.8%37%6.2%
2022/2312%8.0%4.2%37%6.5%
Schools with a similar intake8.5%24%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level, 2024-25. Similar intake: state schools of the same phase with free school meals in the same band (20-30%), the median of 896 schools.

Suspensions and exclusions

YearSuspensions per 100 pupilsPupils suspendedSuspensionsPermanent exclusions
2024/2521.111%1190
2023/2425.614%1492
2022/2335.614%2187
Schools with a similar intake16.8

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level, 2024-25.

Class sizes and staff

MeasureFigureYear
Average class size25.12025/26
Classes over 30 pupils0.0%2025/26
Pupils for each teacher18.5November 2025

Source: DfE, school workforce; school census, 2025/26.

Stops nearby

KindNearest (metres, straight line)
bus71

Source: DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes), current. A stop across a railway or main road may be a long walk. Bus frequency is not held.

Road collisions within 500 m

YearCollisions
20250
20240
20232
20221
20211

Source: DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years, 2021 to 2025. 0 serious and 0 fatal in all; 0 involved a pedestrian, 2 a cyclist. Only collisions with an injury reported to police are counted.

Air quality

PollutantAnnual mean (µg/m³)Year
NO24.32024
PM1010.32024
PM256.42024

Source: DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps. A 1 km background figure: not the air at the school gate beside a busy road.

Pupils

Who goes there

MeasureShare of pupilsYear
Eligible for free school meals27%2025/26
First language other than English4.1%2025/26
SEN support28%2025/26
Education, health and care plan5.2%2025/26
Girls54%2025/26

Source: DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs, 2025/26.

Who runs it

Who runs it

  • West Norfolk Academies Trust, with 11 schools DfE, Get Information about Schools: group links · joined January 2017
  • Opened as an academy (sponsored) on 1 January 2017 DfE, open academies list
  • Replaced Smithdon High School (URN 121157) DfE, Get Information about Schools: links · 23 August 2016
  • We can't compare results before and after it converted: we hold results for only one side of the date, because DfE publishes a few years at a time.

Area

Homes in reach of this schoolLook up any home near here: its sales, an open-data valuation, and which schools it keeps in reach.Search homes →

Sources

  • DEFRA, Pollution Climate Mapping (PCM) 1 km background maps
  • DfE school performance tables
  • DfE school performance tables: the newest year's results, place among the council's schools of the same phase
  • DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school level, Open Government Licence)
  • DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England: absence rates by school level
  • DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England: school level
  • DfE, destination measures
  • DfE, school workforce; school census
  • DfE, schools, pupils and their characteristics; special educational needs
  • DfT, NaPTAN (National Public Transport Access Nodes)
  • DfT, Road safety data (STATS19): collisions and casualties, last five years
  • Ofsted
  • School register: DfE Get Information about Schools (this school)
  • How we check these figures: How we know

More in schools in Hunstanton and the Norfolk league table. School register: DfE Get Information about Schools, updated 17 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources are named beside each figure. How we know · All sources.