Colman Infant School, Norwich
Colman Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Norwich, part of Unity Schools Partnership. It was 72% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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
Colman Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Colman Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Colman Infant School as their first choice and 101 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Colman Infant School are Colman Junior School (0.1 miles, 72% reading, 76% maths); St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 77% maths); Avenue Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 83% reading, 67% maths); and Recreation Road Infant School (0.6 miles, Outstanding).
Colman Junior SchoolSt Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary SchoolAvenue Junior SchoolRecreation Road Infant School
The trust
Colman Infant School is one of 40 schools run by Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
32 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Colman Infant School (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 84% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (66%).
Who goes there
32% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (62%), Black (12%) and Asian (9%).
Colman Infant School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 6 places, 1 pupil on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Norwich Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Highland Road (adjacent), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Colman Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 166 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Colman Infant School issued 17 suspensions, 13.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Colman Infant School are City of Norwich School, An Ormiston Academy (0.7 miles); City Academy Norwich (0.9 miles); Hewett Academy (1.1 miles); and Visiting Teacher Service Central (1.1 miles).
City of Norwich School, An Ormiston AcademyCity Academy NorwichHewett AcademyVisiting Teacher Service Central
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; 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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Colman Infant School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Colman Infant School (URN 120938), it was rated Outstanding in April 2014.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Colman Infant School creates a happy, supportive environment where children love learning and coming to school. Teachers have high academic expectations and provide tailored support to help all pupils succeed, whether in early years or Key Stage 1. The school offers a wide range of enrichment activities and ensures pupils develop not just academically, but also as confident, resilient learners who understand the importance of health and wellbeing.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with children developing confidence, resilience and strong learning habits
- Effective new phonics programme with all staff trained, helping pupils close gaps in reading and writing
- Well-ordered, ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge over time with focus on vocabulary development
- Positive behaviour and attitudes, with calm classrooms where pupils follow clear routines and have strong sense of belonging
- Good support for pupils with SEND, with leaders reviewing and improving provision
Areas for Improvement
- In some foundation subjects, teachers are not using checks on pupils' knowledge effectively to plan next steps in teaching
- Some foundation subjects lack consistent high expectations and shared understanding of what high-quality work looks like
- Staff in some subjects are less familiar with how to adapt their teaching to help all pupils achieve their best
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Beach trips, sports events, creative clubs, sports clubs, playground buddy scheme
Colman Infant School is a Good school that has successfully navigated a period of instability and implemented an ambitious curriculum. The early years provision is Outstanding, with children thriving through learning activities tailored to their specific needs.
At a Glance
31.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
32 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Colman Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Colman Infant School.
- Premier St Francis Of Assisi Holiday Club420m away · Not yet graded
- Barracudas (Norwich)720m away · Not yet graded
- Set Your Sights810m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Colman Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Colman 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
- 27
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 22 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle.
7 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 Colman Infant School
Will you get a place at Colman Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Colman Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Colman Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Colman 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 Colman Infant School for 2025 and 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
72%
Available places
130 pupils
180 places
50 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
20.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Colman Infant School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 6 places, 1 pupil on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
100
Total Pupils
57
Boys
43
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,122
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,043
Per pupil
£965k
Total funding
£48k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
15.5%
Persistent absence
103
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Colman Infant School
What is Colman Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Colman Infant School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2024. Before that, as Colman Infant School (URN 120938), it was rated Outstanding in April 2014.
What is the catchment area for Colman Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Colman 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 Colman Infant School?
Colman Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Colman Infant School?
Classes at Colman Infant School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Colman Infant School?
Colman Infant School has around 100 pupils on roll. 31% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Colman Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Colman Infant School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment: 6 places, 1 pupil on roll.
What is attendance like at Colman Infant School?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Colman Infant School in 2024/25. 15.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Colman Infant School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Colman 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 Colman Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Colman Infant School: Premier St Francis Of Assisi Holiday Club (420m away, registered, not yet graded), Barracudas (Norwich) (720m away, registered, not yet graded) and Set Your Sights (810m 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 Colman Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 27 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 22 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 on a bicycle. 7 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 Colman Infant School?
Colman Infant School is at Colman Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7AW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)