Best Schools in Dereham

How many schools are there in Dereham?

Dereham has 18 open schools: 16 state primary and 2 state secondary or all-through.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Are there any Outstanding schools in Dereham?

None of the 15 graded schools in Dereham currently holds an Outstanding rating. 14 are rated Good, so 93% are Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Dereham get the best GCSE results?

Of the 2 schools in Dereham with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Dereham Neatherd High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 43.1 and 40% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Northgate High School, with an Attainment 8 score of 40.6 and 33% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Dereham Neatherd High SchoolNorthgate High School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Dereham have the best SATs results?

Of the 12 primary schools in Dereham with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Yaxham Church of England Primary Academy (88% in reading, 82% in maths); Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School (78% in reading, 83% in maths); and Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior School (82% in reading, 71% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Yaxham Church of England Primary AcademyScarning Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolDereham, Toftwood Community Junior School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Dereham?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Dereham selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Dereham have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Dereham have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Dereham?

Apply to Norfolk through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.