Lodge Lane Infant School, Norwich
Lodge Lane Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Norwich, part of The Wensum Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. It was 63% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lodge Lane Infant School in detail
Lodge Lane Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Our approach to learning, which is based on Imaginative Inquiry, offers a creative and dynamic curriculum with a wide range of opportunities for our pupils to experience. Children enjoy coming to Lodge Lane, where we strive to ensure they develop a positive attitude towards learning."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:15am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 2 November 2026, an open day on Monday 16 November 2026, an open day on Tuesday 1 December 2026 and an open day on Thursday 17 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Norfolk
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Lodge Lane Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 61 families put Lodge Lane Infant School as their first choice and 130 named it as one of their preferences, for 56 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Lodge Lane Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Lodge Lane Infant School are Garrick Green Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); White Woman Lane Junior School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, 77% reading, 83% maths); Old Catton CofE VC Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 82% maths); and Sprowston Infant School (1 mile, Good).
Garrick Green Infant SchoolWhite Woman Lane Junior SchoolOld Catton CofE VC Junior SchoolSprowston Infant School
The trust
Lodge Lane Infant School is one of 12 schools run by The Wensum Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Lodge Lane Infant School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 71% 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) (71%).
Who goes there
12.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 15 pupils (8.6%) received SEN support and 9 (5.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Lodge Lane Infant School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Norwich Rail Station, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lodge Lane First School (opposite), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lodge Lane Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 71 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
Lodge Lane Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from October 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Lodge Lane Infant School creates a welcoming, happy environment where children thrive academically and socially. Teachers use imaginative, drama-based learning to inspire pupils and help them achieve very well. The school is particularly strong at supporting all learners, including those with additional needs, through tailored support and a specialised provision for pupils with complex SEND.
Key Strengths
- Strong sense of community with daily morning meetings and whole-school celebrations of achievements
- Creative curriculum driven by 'inquiry stories' that inspire learning through drama, storytelling and practical experiences
- Excellent reading promotion with well-trained staff delivering consistent phonics sessions - most pupils read fluently by leaving
- Skilled staff who quickly spot pupils needing extra support and provide targeted help, including personalised provision in the 'Butterflies' room for pupils with SEND
- Broad personal development opportunities including music performances, community initiatives and woodland learning
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistencies in how teachers use checks on pupils' learning to provide feedback and respond to errors
- Some feedback from staff is not meaningful to pupils and may add unnecessary workload to teachers
- Need for more consistent and efficient approaches to assessment across the school
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Norfolk Music Festival performances, Royal British Legion community initiatives, outdoor adventure centre visits, farm visits, woodland area activities including tree climbing and den building, wraparound care before and after school
Lodge Lane Infant School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. This is a happy, friendly school where pupils have a strong sense of belonging and achieve very well through an imaginative inquiry-based approach to learning.
At a Glance
12.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
56 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Lodge Lane Infant School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lodge Lane Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lodge Lane Infant 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
3 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
Your chances of a place at Lodge Lane Infant School
Will you get a place at Lodge Lane Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Lodge Lane Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Lodge Lane Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Lodge Lane Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Lodge Lane Infant School for 2017 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
63%
Available places
170 pupils
270 places
100 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Norwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Norwich
Across Norfolk council
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
13.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
175
Total Pupils
87
Boys
88
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
15.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,425
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,235
Per pupil
£984k
Total funding
£32k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
10.8%
Persistent absence
111
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Lodge Lane Infant School
What is Lodge Lane Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Lodge Lane Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lodge Lane Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Lodge Lane Infant School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Lodge Lane Infant School?
Lodge Lane Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 63% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Lodge Lane Infant School?
Classes at Lodge Lane Infant School average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Lodge Lane Infant School?
Lodge Lane Infant School has around 175 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Lodge Lane Infant School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Lodge Lane Infant School in 2024/25. 10.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lodge Lane Infant School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Lodge Lane Infant School 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.
How many road collisions happen near Lodge Lane Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 3 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 Lodge Lane Infant School?
Lodge Lane Infant School is at Lodge Lane, Old Catton, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 7HL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)