Cecil Gowing Infant School, Norwich
Cecil Gowing Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Norwich. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2023 did not change this grade. It was 89% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cecil Gowing Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Cecil Gowing Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 65 families put Cecil Gowing Infant School as their first choice and 128 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Cecil Gowing Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cecil Gowing Infant School are Falcon Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 67% reading, 65% maths); Sparhawk Infant School & Nursery (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Sprowston Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); and Sprowston Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 57% reading, 56% maths).
Falcon Junior SchoolSparhawk Infant School & NurserySprowston Infant SchoolSprowston Junior School
Who goes there
11% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (86%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 18 pupils (10.4%) received SEN support and 7 (4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Cecil Gowing Infant School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Norwich Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Linacre Avenue (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cecil Gowing Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 121 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Cecil Gowing Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cecil Gowing Infant School are Sprowston Community Academy (0.1 miles), The Open Academy (0.5 miles) and Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form (1.6 miles).
Sprowston Community AcademyThe Open AcademyThorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 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 May 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
11.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.6
Avg class size
28.6
Infant (KS1)
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cecil Gowing Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cecil Gowing Infant School.
- Premier Sparhawk Wrap Around Care570m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cecil Gowing Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cecil Gowing Infant 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot.
3 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 Cecil Gowing Infant School
Will you get a place at Cecil Gowing Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cecil Gowing Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cecil Gowing Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cecil Gowing Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cecil Gowing Infant 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
89%
Available places
161 pupils
180 places
19 spare places 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
9,547
Applications
7,482
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
14.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
173
Total Pupils
92
Boys
81
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
14.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£42,898
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,532
Per pupil
£982k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
15.3%
Persistent absence
111
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cecil Gowing Infant School
Questions parents ask about Cecil Gowing Infant School
What is Cecil Gowing Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Cecil Gowing Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cecil Gowing Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Cecil Gowing Infant 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 Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Cecil Gowing Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Classes at Cecil Gowing Infant School average 28.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Cecil Gowing Infant School has around 173 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cecil Gowing Infant School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at Cecil Gowing Infant School in 2024/25. 15.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Cecil Gowing Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Cecil Gowing Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Cecil Gowing Infant School: Premier Sparhawk Wrap Around Care (570m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot. 3 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 Cecil Gowing Infant School?
Cecil Gowing Infant School is at Falcon Road West, Sprowston, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 8NZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)