John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Great Yarmouth. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2017)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea in detail
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea in its own words
In its own words: "At John Grant, accreditation for our students starts in key stage 4. For our more able students who are working at Entry Level 1 and above they follow the City and Guilds Functional skills qualification in both English and Maths."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea are Bure Park Specialist Academy (2.3 miles, Good); and Novaturient School (3.3 miles, Good).
What parents say
13 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school and 100% say their child is happy there.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (85%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 9 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 11% to a further education college.
Who goes there
57.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 7.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (6%).
Almost every pupil at John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea has an education, health and care plan (198 of 198 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Great Yarmouth Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bure Close (adjacent), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 45 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
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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 October 2017, 8 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
Sixth Form
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Warmth and kindness shine through as pupils and adults enjoy one another's company. Smiles are aplenty in classrooms, playgrounds and corridors. Pupils develop strong friendships with one another. All receive high-quality support to meet their physical and social needs. Much is expected of pupils. They step up to meet these expectations, working hard and learning well.
Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They show consistently high levels of respect for each other, and for adults. Adults provide well-tailored support to help pupils self-regulate. Pupils have well-rehearsed strategies they can draw on if they feel stressed, angry or upset. Those who need more help with behaviour receive highly effective support from skilled adults. Over time, pupils who receive this extra help improve their behaviour considerably.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Pupils learn and develop well. This is because the school's curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the differing needs of pupils. Adults regularly make careful checks on what pupils know and can do. This ensures pupils follow the right curriculum pathway for them as they move through the school. As children join in early years, adults get to know them well. These youngest children become comfortable in their new surroundings. Children in early years develop strong relationships with adults, learning and developing well.
Pupils learn to communicate well. They develop appropriate and secure communication skills and knowledge for their stage of development. For some pupils, this is non-verbal communication using aids or devices to express their needs and feelings. For others, it is through verbal or written communication. Pupils learn to read well as a result of the school's well-taught phonics programme. This has been skilfully adapted to suit the differing special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) of pupils. They read books that help them apply their growing knowledge of sounds. This helps many become accurate and confident readers.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its October 2017 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
57.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Vision, Hearing, Speech and language +6
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
13 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)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Social & online
Keep up with John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea
Before and after school care
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea 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 John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
4 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
108%
Over capacity
198 pupils
183 places
15 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Great Yarmouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Great Yarmouth
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(9)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
198
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, 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
198
Total Pupils
144
Boys
54
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
9.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,681
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.9%
Overall absence
29.5%
Persistent absence
166
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
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea
Questions parents ask about John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea
What are SATs results like at John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
Of the pupils at John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea's Ofsted rating?
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2017, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
No fixed boundary. When John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea has around 198 pupils on roll. 58% are eligible for free school meals.
Does John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea have specialist SEN provision?
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea provides for pupils with visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
9.9% of sessions were missed at John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea in 2024/25. 29.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea 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 John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea have a breakfast club or after-school club?
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea 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 John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 4 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 John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea?
John Grant School, Caister-on-Sea is at St George's Drive, Caister-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 5QW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)