Fred Nicholson School, Swaffham
Fred Nicholson School is a special school for pupils aged 3 to 19 in Swaffham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Fred Nicholson School in detail
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Fred Nicholson School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 55% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (55%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 19 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 90% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 47% to a further education college.
Who goes there
55.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 12.3% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (5%).
Almost every pupil at Fred Nicholson School has an education, health and care plan (195 of 195 in 2026). The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Fred Nicholson School has a resourced provision and a SEN unit (19 places, 19 pupils on roll) for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Fred Nicholson School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fred Nicholson School (adjacent), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 54 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. 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, Fred Nicholson School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Some aspects are not as strong as at the last graded inspection.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Fred Nicholson School excels at understanding each pupil as an individual and supporting their emotional and communication development in a calm, welcoming environment. Pupils are proud members of the school community and benefit from a wide range of real-world learning experiences including workplace visits and community activities. The school is actively addressing areas for improvement and staff are engaging positively with coaching and training to strengthen teaching practices.
Key Strengths
- Pupils develop strong social skills and are well supported to recognise and manage their feelings, making the school a calm place
- Staff know pupils really well as individuals and effectively help them develop communication skills in their preferred systems
- The school provides a wide range of enriching activities including workplace visits, farm visits, and community outings that help pupils prepare for life outside school
Areas for Improvement
- Staff expectations are often too low - pupils are given work that is too easy and are not challenged appropriately, with capable pupils rarely asked to write
- Phonics teaching checks are not being used effectively, so some pupils learn sounds they already know instead of progressing to new ones
- The curriculum is not fully planned out - it lacks clear identification of what knowledge pupils should learn and when, affecting the logical sequence of teaching
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Workplace visits, farm visits, local shop visits, bus travel training, library visits, career fairs and job visits, life skills learning in sixth form
Fred Nicholson School is a special school for pupils aged 7-18 with a range of special educational needs and disabilities. While the school has created a calm, supportive environment where pupils are proud to attend, the current inspection suggests that the quality of education may not be as strong as at the previous inspection.
At a Glance
55.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision and SEN unit: SpLD, Vision, Hearing +8
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 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)
Keep up with Fred Nicholson School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Fred Nicholson School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Fred Nicholson 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
- 2
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.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
2 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
87%
Available places
195 pupils
224 places
29 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Swaffham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Swaffham
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(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
195
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Fred Nicholson School has a resourced provision and a SEN unit (19 places, 19 pupils on roll) for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
195
Total Pupils
116
Boys
79
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
9.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£41,832
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.9%
Overall absence
26.5%
Persistent absence
185
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 Fred Nicholson School
What are SATs results like at Fred Nicholson School?
Of the pupils at Fred Nicholson School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Fred Nicholson School's Ofsted rating?
Fred Nicholson School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Fred Nicholson School?
No fixed boundary. When Fred Nicholson School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Fred Nicholson School?
Fred Nicholson School has around 195 pupils on roll. 56% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Fred Nicholson School have specialist SEN provision?
Fred Nicholson School has a resourced provision and a SEN unit (19 places, 19 pupils on roll) for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Fred Nicholson School?
8.9% of sessions were missed at Fred Nicholson School in 2024/25. 26.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Fred Nicholson School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Fred Nicholson 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.
How many road collisions happen near Fred Nicholson 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. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 2 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 Fred Nicholson School?
Fred Nicholson School is at 77 Lynn Road, Swaffham, PE37 7BB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)