Aylsham High School, Norwich
Aylsham High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Norwich, part of The Aylsham Cluster Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 8th-highest of the 22 schools in Norwich with published results, and 1,201st of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Aylsham High School in detail
Aylsham High School in its own words
In its own words: "We believe that every child is capable of achieving success and excellence through hardwork, focused concentration and regular deliberate practice We are a member of The Aylsham Cluster Trust - TACT a co-operative trust."
The school runs after-school care.
On phones, the school says: "Mobile phones will not be permitted in behaviour support ; they will be handed in and placed in the office for safe keeping."
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Aylsham High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45 in Norfolk and 47 across England.
54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Norfolk and 47% in England.
That is up from 45 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.21: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 35.5, against 51.1 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.6 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, French and Geography.
Getting a place at Aylsham High School
For September 2026 entry, 245 families put Aylsham High School as their first choice and 389 named it as one of their preferences, for 229 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 16 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
The trust
Aylsham High School is one of 4 schools run by The Aylsham Cluster Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 229 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 59% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 4% into work.
Who goes there
1.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Aylsham (Bure Valley Railway), about 650 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High School (adjacent), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Aylsham High School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Aylsham High School issued 33 suspensions, 3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Aylsham High School are St Michael's Church of England VA Primary and Nursery School (0.5 miles), Bure Valley School (0.6 miles) and John of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
St Michael's Church of England VA Primary and Nursery SchoolBure Valley SchoolJohn of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2014 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Aylsham High School is a secondary school in the market town of Aylsham north of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk. It has around 1,000 pupils ranging in age from 11 to 16.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
19.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.21 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 52.3 to 48.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 59% to 54% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 48.6 | 53.5% |
| Disadvantaged(34) | - | 35.5 | 29.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(181) | - | 51.1 | 58% |
| Boys(114) | - | 47.8 | 54.4% |
| Girls(101) | - | 49.5 | 52.5% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(208) | - | 49.3 | 54.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 229 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.18%
Exclusion rate
33
Suspensions
2.98%
Suspension rate
26 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,108 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby secondary school
Latest from Aylsham High School
Congratulations - Georgianna!
4 Sep 2026
Family Friendly Race Night!
17 Apr 2026
AHS Music Interhouse Music Competition 2026
13 Feb 2026
Aylsham High School Presents: Britney’s Lock
9 Feb 2026
Wellbeing garden now open
25 Jun 2025
Art & Design Exhibition End of Year Show
10 Jun 2025
From Aylsham High School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Aylsham High School
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Aylsham High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Aylsham High School is in Norfolk; for families living there:
Apply to Norfolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Aylsham High School
Will you get a place at Aylsham High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Aylsham High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Aylsham High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Aylsham High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Aylsham High School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Norfolk got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
105%
Over capacity
1,110 pupils
1,062 places
48 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Norwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Norwich
Across Norfolk council
Places available
9,559
Applications
8,625
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All secondary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
173
SEN Support
54
EHC Plans
19.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,138
Total Pupils
550
Boys
588
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
74
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,098
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,600
Per pupil
£7739k
Total funding
£230k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.6%
Overall absence
23.6%
Persistent absence
1,139
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Aylsham High School
What are GCSE results like at Aylsham High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Aylsham High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 48.6. 54% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Aylsham High School's Ofsted rating?
Aylsham High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Aylsham High School?
No fixed boundary. When Aylsham High School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Aylsham High School?
Aylsham High School was full in 2025, at 105% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Aylsham High School?
Classes at Aylsham High School average 23.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Aylsham High School?
Aylsham High School has around 1138 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Aylsham High School?
9.6% of sessions were missed at Aylsham High School in 2024/25. 23.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Aylsham High School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Aylsham High School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Aylsham High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 1 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Aylsham High School?
Aylsham High School is at Sir Williams Lane, Aylsham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 6AN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)