Skip to main content

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery, King's Lynn

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 3–11

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in King's Lynn, part of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 40 schools in King's Lynn with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 74% full in 2025.

SATs results
Below England average
Demand
Every first choice offered
Attendance
Below England average
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Data last updated 1 Nov 2026

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery in detail

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery in its own words

From the headteacher's welcome: "Here at Docking, we really want all our children, as they progress through the years, to have the highest possible aspirations for everything they do, whether it be work or play."

Headteacher's welcome (school website)

Source: The school's own website

Results

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Norfolk and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 69% in reading and 56% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

Getting a place at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

For September 2026 entry, 13 families put Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery as their first choice and 19 named it as one of their preferences, for 13 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

Admissions history and your chances at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other state primary schools to Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery are Burnham Market Primary and Nursery School (5.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 72% maths); and Dersingham Primary School (5.9 miles, Good, 62% reading, 69% maths).

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.

Burnham Market Primary and Nursery SchoolDersingham Primary School

The trust

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery is one of 42 schools run by The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

All 42 schools in The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust

What parents say

17 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery (as of September 2025): 77% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 60% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (60%).

Who goes there

2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 24 pupils (22%) received SEN support and 6 (5.5%) 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.

Staffing

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

Getting there

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Primary & Nursery School (adjacent), 30 metres away.

The area around the school

In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often other theft and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).

Suspensions and exclusions

In 2024/25, Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery issued 1 suspension, 1.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Rebekah Woodrow
Pupils:109
LA:Norfolk
Phone:01485518344
Address:Chequers Street, Docking, King's Lynn, PE31 8LH
Trust:THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH EDUCATION AND ACADEMIES TRUST (42 schools)
Status:open
Opened:1 January 2022

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.

Inspected 11 February 2025View full report
URN:148822
UKPRN:10089422
Diocese:Diocese of Norwich
Constituency:North West Norfolk
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.

What This School Does Well

Your child will be happy and safe at this school, supported by caring staff who help them enjoy learning and attend well. The school has high expectations for behaviour and achievement, with recent improvements in reading and maths. There are plenty of opportunities for your child to develop as a person through taking responsibilities, outdoor learning, and involvement in their local community.

Key Strengths

  • Strong focus on reading development with high-quality resources and skilled teaching that helps children become confident, fluent readers
  • Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times, showing enthusiasm and engagement with their learning
  • Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, with quick identification and precise information to help them access the full curriculum
  • Improvements made in reading, mathematics and behaviour over the last two years
  • Rich opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities and develop personal qualities through school councils, outdoor learning and community involvement

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils in key stage 2 have knowledge gaps from previous curriculum changes that are not being consistently addressed
  • Teachers need further professional development and support to deliver the new curriculum effectively
  • Teaching does not always address pupils' misconceptions before moving them on to harder tasks, meaning some pupils do not secure key knowledge needed for future learning

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff knowing how to identify pupils needing support and an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports clubs, musical opportunities, involvement with local church, outdoor learning

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school is a smaller than average primary school where pupils are happy, safe and well-supported by kind and nurturing staff.

At a Glance

21.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

17 responses
Would recommend77%
Child is happy94%
Child does well88%
High expectations71%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved94%
Bullying dealt with (of parents with a view)60%
Kept informed82%
Handles concerns (of parents who raised one)77%
Wider development71%

Source: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2024/25

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-2ppMaths+11ppWriting+4pp

Reading has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 56% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 63% to 67% (2024 to 2025).

Class Sizes

26.8

Avg class size

29.0

Infant (KS1)

27.5

KS2

4

Total classes

2025/26 academic year

How Does This School Compare?

Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools

See peer comparison with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Latest from Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

From Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Keep up with Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

Nurseries

The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery, with their latest published grades:

  • Docking Pre-School - Day nursery, under 0.1 miles
    Ofsted, 9 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Getting There

Bus Stops

Primary & Nursery School (adj)
28m · 0 min walk
nursery (opp)
64m · 1 min walk
Village Hall (opp)
289m · 5 min walk
No 15 (os)
510m · 8 min walk
King William (adj)
689m · 11 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery 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
1
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, 1 serious and 2 slight.

The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).

Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.

Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute and house prices

See commute times and house prices with Pro - £9 a month, or £90 a year, inc. VAT

Your chances of a place at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

Will you get a place at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

For 2026 entry it had 13 first choices for 13 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.

£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

74%

Available places

93 pupils

125 places

32 spare places in 2025

2025, DfE school capacity data

Across Norfolk council

Low demand council-wide0.78 applications per place

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

Future places in the local planning area

DfE estimates the Hunstanton Primary Phase planning area (Norfolk) will have 272 spare primary places in 2027/28.

Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics

Inspection History

11 February 2025

Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

24

SEN Support

6

EHC Plans

27.5%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

Social, Emotional & Mental Health5
Speech, Language & Communication4
Autistic Spectrum Disorder4
Specific Learning Difficulty1
Moderate Learning Difficulty1
Other1
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
96.3%
Asian
1.8%
Mixed
0.9%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals21.1%
English as Additional Language2.8%

109

Total Pupils

41

Boys

68

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

8

Teachers

13.6:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

£52,256

Mean salary

2026 data

School Funding

£6,696

Per pupil

£703k

Total funding

£45k

Pupil premium

Deprivation£37,072
Sparsity£45,000
Lump sum£141,932

2025-26 financial year allocations

Pupil Absence
2024/25

7.2%

Overall absence

12.9%

Persistent absence

85

Enrolments

Authorised6.1%
Unauthorised1.1%
Persistent (10%+)12.9%
Severe (50%+)3.5%

Absence trend

5.4%
21/22
6.1%
22/23
6.2%
23/24
7.2%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Questions parents ask about Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery

What are SATs results like at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

Of the pupils at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.

Is it hard to get a place at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 74% of its 125 places.

How big are the classes at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

Classes at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery average 26.8 pupils (2025/26).

How many pupils go to Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery has around 109 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.

What is attendance like at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

7.2% of sessions were missed at Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery in 2024/25. 12.9% of pupils were persistently absent.

How many road collisions happen near Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

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, 1 serious and 2 slight. The typical figure for schools in Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).

Where is Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery?

Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery is at Chequers Street, Docking, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 8LH.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

Work here? Claim this profile free