Coltishall Primary School, Norwich
Coltishall Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Norwich. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 18th-highest of the 102 schools in Norwich with published results, and 4,333rd of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Coltishall Primary School in detail
Coltishall Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Coltishall is a happy, friendly and successful school with a strong sense of community. We want every child to feel safe, valued and excited about coming to school, while being challenged and supported to achieve their very best."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, cricket, cross-country, choir and orchestra.
The school runs a breakfast club, from £5.00 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at Coltishall Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Norfolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (83% in reading, 86% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Coltishall Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Coltishall Primary School as their first choice and 42 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Coltishall Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Coltishall Primary School are Tunstead Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 91% maths); Frettenham Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 67% maths); St John's Community Primary School and Nursery (2.5 miles, Good, 62% reading, 48% maths); and Buxton Primary School (2.9 miles, Outstanding, 68% reading, 68% maths).
Coltishall Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Tunstead Primary SchoolFrettenham Primary SchoolSt John's Community Primary School and NurseryBuxton Primary School
What parents say
111 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Coltishall Primary School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Who goes there
11.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 22 pupils (10.3%) received SEN support and 4 (1.9%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Hoveton (Bure Valley Railway), about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chapel (opposite), 350 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 9 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Coltishall Primary School issued 11 suspensions, 5.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoThis judgement is from December 2013, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Coltishall Primary School excels at creating a happy, safe environment where children thrive academically and personally. The Outstanding early years provision gives children a strong start, while excellent teaching in reading and mathematics builds confident, independent learners. Beyond academics, the school enriches pupils' education through exciting trips and activities, and develops them into kind, respectful young people who understand healthy relationships and embrace diversity.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding early years provision with excellent behaviour and consistent routines - Reception children quickly build understanding and develop rich vocabulary
- Strong reading and mathematics teaching where pupils confidently apply knowledge independently and tackle complex problems with precise subject-specific language
- Rich enrichment programme including trips to museums, historical sites, zoo and theatre that enhance curriculum knowledge
- Excellent wider development and personal, social, health education ensuring pupils are kind, open-minded and understand healthy relationships
- Effective safeguarding with pupils understanding they can seek help and teachers prioritising welfare
Areas for Improvement
- Some teachers do not adapt the writing curriculum appropriately for younger pupils with SEND, and do not rigorously identify spelling, punctuation and grammar errors in their work, limiting progress
- Leaders' monitoring of some areas of school provision is not rigorous enough, such as checking participation in extra-curricular activities and attendance records, slowing improvement actions
- Some other curriculum areas need refinement to ensure pupils achieve the same high expectations as in core subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with pupils understanding how to seek help and teachers keeping welfare at the forefront of their minds.
Extracurricular Activities
Museum visits, historical site visits, zoo visits, theatre visits, buddy system, school council, charity fundraising, community singing
Coltishall Primary School is a Good school where pupils are happy, safe, and learn well due to high teacher expectations. The early years provision is Outstanding, with exemplary behaviour and strong foundations for future learning.
At a Glance
11.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
111 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Coltishall Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Coltishall Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Coltishall Primary 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Coltishall Primary School
Will you get a place at Coltishall Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Coltishall Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Coltishall Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Coltishall Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Coltishall Primary 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
99%
Near capacity
209 pupils
210 places
1 spare place 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
12.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
213
Total Pupils
118
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
21.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,241
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,058
Per pupil
£1180k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
9.7%
Persistent absence
186
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Coltishall Primary School
What are SATs results like at Coltishall Primary School?
Of the pupils at Coltishall Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Coltishall Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Coltishall Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2013, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Coltishall Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Coltishall Primary 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 Coltishall Primary School?
Coltishall Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Coltishall Primary School?
Classes at Coltishall Primary School average 30 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Coltishall Primary School?
Coltishall Primary School has around 213 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Coltishall Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Coltishall Primary School in 2024/25. 9.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Coltishall Primary School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Coltishall Primary 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.
How many road collisions happen near Coltishall Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Coltishall Primary School?
Coltishall Primary School is at St John's Close, Coltishall, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 7HA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)