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Heartsease Primary Academy, Norwich

Good
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 2–11

Heartsease Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Norwich, part of Unity Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 85th-highest of the 102 schools in Norwich with published results, and 12,428th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.

SATs results
Below England average
Ofsted
Good (2023)
Demand
Every first choice offered
Attendance
Below England average
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

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

Heartsease Primary Academy in detail

Heartsease Primary Academy in its own words

In its own words: "A very warm welcome to all our new starters and their families. I am delighted that you have chosen Heartsease Primary Academy, and I want you to know what an excellent choice you have made. We take great pride in the education, care and opportunities we offer every child who joins our community."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, athletics and badminton.

The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £3.50 per session.

Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)

Source: The school's own website

Results

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils at Heartsease Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 61% 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 (68% in reading, 62% in maths).

Getting a place at Heartsease Primary Academy

For September 2026 entry, 25 families put Heartsease Primary Academy as their first choice and 44 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 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 Heartsease Primary Academy

Compared with nearby schools

The nearest other state primary schools to Heartsease Primary Academy are St William's Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 81% reading, 60% maths); Falcon Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 67% reading, 65% maths); Lionwood Junior School (0.7 miles, Good, 62% reading, 57% maths); and Cecil Gowing Infant School (0.8 miles, Good).

Heartsease Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

St William's Primary SchoolFalcon Junior SchoolLionwood Junior SchoolCecil Gowing Infant School

The trust

Heartsease Primary Academy 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.

All 40 schools in Unity Schools Partnership

Who goes there

33.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 28.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%), Black (6%) and Mixed (5%).

Heartsease Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 10 places.

Getting there

The nearest railway station is Norwich Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.

9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Soul Church (opposite), 10 metres away.

The area around the school

In August 2026, police recorded 209 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, Heartsease Primary Academy issued 61 suspensions, 13.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

Secondary schools nearby

The secondary schools closest to Heartsease Primary Academy are The Open Academy (0.3 miles), Sprowston Community Academy (0.8 miles) and Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form (1.2 miles).

The Open AcademySprowston Community AcademyThorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form

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; 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 GIAS
Head:Mrs Georgia Guy
Pupils:398
LA:Norfolk
Phone:01603307820
Address:Rider Haggard Road, Norwich, NR7 9UE
Trust:UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP (40 schools)
Status:open
Opened:1 April 2013

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 3 years ago
Good

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 11 July 2023View full report
URN:139491
UKPRN:10040995
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Norwich North
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2023 inspection.

Rated Good for

Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.

At a Glance

33.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

Resourced provision: Speech and language

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2024/25

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-4ppMaths-1ppWriting+46pp

Reading has declined from 68% to 64% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 61% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 20% to 66% (2024 to 2025).

Class Sizes

25.6

Avg class size

20.8

Infant (KS1)

27.0

KS2

14

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

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 Heartsease Primary Academy

From Heartsease Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.

Social & online

Keep up with Heartsease Primary Academy

Before and after school care

Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Heartsease Primary Academy.

  • Premier St Williams Holiday Club640m away · Not yet graded

Getting There

Bus Stops

Soul Church (opp)
10m · 0 min walk
Rider Haggard Road (adj)
73m · 1 min walk
Firwood Close (adj)
176m · 3 min walk
Orchard Close (adj)
261m · 4 min walk
Manby Road (adj)
314m · 5 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to Heartsease Primary Academy from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. Heartsease Primary Academy 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
12
Fatal
0
Serious
6
Children hurt
1

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 6 slight.

1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.

1 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.

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Commute and house prices

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Your chances of a place at Heartsease Primary Academy

Will you get a place at Heartsease Primary Academy? Get the admissions report

Your home postcode, set against Heartsease Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.

What the report includes for Heartsease Primary Academy:

  • The straight-line distance from your home to Heartsease Primary Academy.
  • We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
  • Applications, first choices and offers at Heartsease Primary Academy 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

92%

Near capacity

385 pupils

420 places

35 spare places in 2025

2025, DfE school capacity data

Area Demand Pressure - Norwich

Low pressure
New homes approved:8,098
Projected new pupils:2,025

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Norwich

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

Inspection History(4)

11 July 2023
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
5 May 2022

Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.

24 May 2016
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

51

SEN Support

17

EHC Plans

17.1%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

Heartsease Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 10 places.

Source: GIAS, Department for Education.

Pupils by Need Type

Speech, Language & Communication35
Social, Emotional & Mental Health14
Specific Learning Difficulty9
Moderate Learning Difficulty3
Physical Disability3
Hearing Impairment2
Autistic Spectrum Disorder1
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
68.6%
Asian
3.6%
Black
6.0%
Mixed
5.4%
Chinese
0.5%
Other
3.0%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals33.7%
English as Additional Language28.1%

398

Total Pupils

207

Boys

191

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

21

Teachers

19.0:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

£47,839

Mean salary

2026 data

School Funding

£5,587

Per pupil

£2483k

Total funding

£215k

Pupil premium

Deprivation£331,876
EAL funding£36,322
Lump sum£141,932

2025-26 financial year allocations

Pupil Absence
2024/25

7.2%

Overall absence

19.8%

Persistent absence

353

Enrolments

Authorised5.5%
Unauthorised1.7%
Persistent (10%+)19.8%
Severe (50%+)2.0%

Absence trend

4.9%
18/19
4.1%
20/21
7.9%
21/22
6.6%
22/23
6.7%
23/24
7.2%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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 Heartsease Primary Academy

What are SATs results like at Heartsease Primary Academy?

Of the pupils at Heartsease Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 64% reached the expected standard in reading and 61% did so in maths.

What is Heartsease Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Heartsease Primary Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2016 it was rated Outstanding.

What is the catchment area for Heartsease Primary Academy?

No fixed boundary. When Heartsease Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.

Is it hard to get a place at Heartsease Primary Academy?

Heartsease Primary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 420 places.

How big are the classes at Heartsease Primary Academy?

Classes at Heartsease Primary Academy average 25.6 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 Heartsease Primary Academy?

Heartsease Primary Academy has around 398 pupils on roll. 34% are eligible for free school meals.

Does Heartsease Primary Academy have specialist SEN provision?

Heartsease Primary Academy has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 10 places.

What is attendance like at Heartsease Primary Academy?

7.2% of sessions were missed at Heartsease Primary Academy in 2024/25. 19.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).

How do I apply to Heartsease Primary Academy?

Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Heartsease Primary Academy 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 Heartsease Primary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?

Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Heartsease Primary Academy: Premier St Williams Holiday Club (640m 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 Heartsease Primary Academy?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Heartsease Primary Academy?

Heartsease Primary Academy is at Rider Haggard Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR7 9UE.

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

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