Duke of Lancaster School, Fakenham
Duke of Lancaster School is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 16 in Fakenham, part of Eastern Education Group Trust. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2026, ended in a report card: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Before that it was rated Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, in March 2024.
- Ofsted report card
- 2 areas need attention
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Duke of Lancaster School in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 6 May 2026 inspection grades Duke of Lancaster School on 6 areas: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders are tenacious about finding ways to help pupils return to learning, often after long periods out of school."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "Staff understand pupils' needs well."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have acted quickly to improve the school."
Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised the redevelopment of the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme to better support pupils to engage with and make sense of different aspects of everyday life."
Achievement - Needs attention. "The quality of pupils' work varies between subjects and, in some areas, they do not apply their understanding to new problems and/or questions."
Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The activities pupils complete do not always help them to think deeply or practise what teachers want them to learn."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should support teachers to ensure that tasks are consistently designed to deepen pupils' thinking and provide meaningful opportunities to practise and apply what they have been taught"; "Leaders should ensure that staff raise expectations around the quality of pupils' presentation in work across the curriculum"; "Leaders should continue to build relationships and positive communication with parents and carers".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
The trust
Duke of Lancaster School is one of 10 schools run by Eastern Education Group Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 6 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 67% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 67% to a further education college.
Who goes there
41.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 4.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at Duke of Lancaster School has an education, health and care plan (107 of 107 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Duke of Lancaster School.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Sixth Form Centre (adjacent), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 70 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. 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, Duke of Lancaster School issued 24 suspensions, 24 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: 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 · 5 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
- AchievementNeeds attention
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Duke of Lancaster School
Pupils enjoy learning and take part in a wide range of experiences that help them to grow in confidence. They learn to be independent and manage the routines of school life. They take part in many trips, including overseas, which broaden their understanding of the world. Pupils also visit colleges and take part in a careers programme that helps them to identify their next steps. Work experience and alternative provision placements support this further and open doors to apprenticeships. Pupils are enthusiastic about learning and take pride in their work. They develop secure composition skills in writing and build knowledge across subjects. Expectations for written work vary between subjects and in some areas, pupils could be challenged more. Pupils use a wide range of adaptations, including different writing materials and technology, to help them learn. They follow curriculum interests that reflect the needs of each cohort, such as creative computing media. Pupils form positive relationships with staff. Staff use pupils' interests to help them settle into routines, especially the youngest pupils. Pupils arrive happy and enjoy shared breakfasts and lunches. As they spend more time in school, they become confident in social situations. They feel safe and can name adults they would go to if worried. When bullying occurs, staff deal with it well and keep parents and carers informed. Attendance has risen over the last year. Staff work closely with families to help pupils attend regularly. Some pupils still struggle to attend, but leaders consider all options to support them, including alternative provision or virtual attendance. This approach has helped some pupils return to school for the first time in several years.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should support teachers to ensure that tasks are consistently designed to deepen pupils' thinking and provide meaningful opportunities to practise and apply what they have been taught.
- Leaders should ensure that staff raise expectations around the quality of pupils' presentation in work across the curriculum.
- Leaders should continue to build relationships and positive communication with parents and carers.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 6 May 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Duke of Lancaster School excels at supporting pupils' personal development and independence through a wide range of enrichment activities including overseas trips, work experience, and careers support. The school has dramatically improved pupils' achievement in gaining qualifications and maintains a calm, supportive environment where behaviour has significantly improved. Staff build strong relationships with pupils and work effectively with families to boost attendance and engagement in learning.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding is robust with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed, making pupils feel safe
- Significant reduction in physical aggression incidents through clear staff training and supportive approaches to help pupils regulate emotions
- Strong personal development programme with excellent enrichment opportunities including overseas trips, local visits, work experience and careers support
- Attendance has improved and is now in line with similar schools, with leaders working tenaciously with families
- Pupils' achievement in gaining formal qualifications has risen significantly - most pupils now likely to gain qualifications compared to none three years ago
Areas for Improvement
- Quality of pupils' work varies between subjects and they don't consistently apply understanding to new problems, limiting access to higher qualifications
- Teaching and learning quality is uneven - some staff do not deliver the full curriculum with the same level of skill
- Tasks are not always designed to deepen pupils' thinking or provide meaningful practice and application opportunities
- Expectations for work presentation vary inconsistently across the curriculum
- Relationships with some families need strengthening despite increased communication efforts
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - the school has created an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are fulfilled and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Overseas trips to New York and Singapore, local visits, work experience placements, careers days, further education college visits, community reading with older people, alternative provision, virtual school support
Duke of Lancaster School is a special school for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities where leaders have acted quickly to improve the school and raise expectations. Safeguarding is effective and pupils are making progress, though more work is needed to improve teaching quality and achievement across all subjects.
At a Glance
41.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 27% (2024 to 2025), while maths has declined from 10% to 0% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby school
Keep up with Duke of Lancaster School
Before and after school care
Duke of Lancaster School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Norfolk
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Duke of Lancaster School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Duke of Lancaster 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
107%
Over capacity
107 pupils
100 places
7 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Fakenham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Fakenham
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.
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
107
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
107
Total Pupils
94
Boys
13
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
5.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,092
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
20.8%
Overall absence
45.9%
Persistent absence
109
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 Duke of Lancaster School
What are GCSE results like at Duke of Lancaster School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Duke of Lancaster School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 5.3. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Duke of Lancaster School's Ofsted rating?
Duke of Lancaster School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Duke of Lancaster School?
No fixed boundary. When Duke of Lancaster School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Duke of Lancaster School?
Duke of Lancaster School has around 107 pupils on roll. 41% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Duke of Lancaster School?
20.8% of sessions were missed at Duke of Lancaster School in 2024/25. 45.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Duke of Lancaster School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Duke of Lancaster School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Duke of Lancaster School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Duke of Lancaster School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Duke of Lancaster School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 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 Duke of Lancaster School?
Duke of Lancaster School is at Highfield Road, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 9DQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)