Queensway Infant Academy, Thetford

Ofsted's report card from its 12 May 2026 inspection grades Queensway Infant Academy on 7 areas: 1 strong standard and 6 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Leaders place a high priority on the personal development and wellbeing programme."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, achieve well from their various starting points."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Since the previous inspection, leaders have placed a key focus on ensuring that the curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced across all subjects."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders provide clear direction for the early years."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have rightly placed a high focus on inclusion."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and priorities."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is adapted effectively so that all pupils have opportunities to extend their learning and deepen their understanding across subjects"; "Leaders should ensure that staff engage in high‑quality interactions with children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 to embed and deepen their speech, language and vocabulary".

For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Queensway Infant Academy as their first choice and 37 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.

The nearest other state primary schools to Queensway Infant Academy are Queensway Junior Academy (under 0.1 miles, 65% reading, 59% maths); Redcastle Family School (0.4 miles, Good, 73% reading, 85% maths); Norwich Road Academy (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 72% reading, 72% maths); and The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, 48% reading, 48% maths).

Queensway Infant Academy is one of 18 schools run by Inspiration Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

43.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 47 pupils (46.5%) received SEN support and 4 (4%) 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.

Queensway Infant Academy had 7 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Thetford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.

10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fulmerston Close (adjacent), 140 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Queensway Infant Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Queensway Infant Academy issued 10 suspensions, 9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.