Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Dereham
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Dereham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 12 schools in Dereham with published results, and 5,545th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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 27 Oct 2026
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School in detail
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "At Scarning VC Primary, we believe in participation for all. We want all adults and children to participate in learning and we celebrate all members of our community. We want to create an inclusive culture in our school and we aim to be responsive to the diversity of children’s backgrounds, interests, experience, knowledge and skills."
Coming up: an open day on Saturday 14 November 2026 at 10am and an open day on Wednesday 2 December 2026 at 9.15am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Norfolk
Vision and values (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Norfolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 64% in reading and 59% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 53 families put Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School as their first choice and 100 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 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 Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School are Dereham Church of England Junior Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 71% reading, 66% maths); Dereham Church of England Infant and Nursery Academy (0.8 miles); Grove House Infant and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good); and King's Park Infant School, Dereham (1.1 miles, Good).
Dereham Church of England Junior AcademyDereham Church of England Infant and Nursery AcademyGrove House Infant and Nursery SchoolKing's Park Infant School, Dereham
Who goes there
7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is (Dereham) Mid Norfolk Railway, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is School (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 64 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting 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, Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School are Northgate High School (1.2 miles) and Dereham Neatherd High School (1.6 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2014 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 64% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 59% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
30.8
KS2
14
Total classes
5 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
2nd October Newsletter
2 Oct 2026
25th September Newsletter
25 Sep 2026
18th September Newsletter
18 Sep 2026
11th September Newsletter
11 Sep 2026
4th September Newsletter
4 Sep 2026
17th July Newsletter
17 Jul 2026
From Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
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
Your chances of a place at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Will you get a place at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School 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
97%
Near capacity
406 pupils
420 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dereham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dereham
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
58
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
415
Total Pupils
216
Boys
199
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
21
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,459
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,094
Per pupil
£2267k
Total funding
£118k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
7.5%
Persistent absence
359
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Questions parents ask about Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School
What are SATs results like at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Of the pupils at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Classes at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26). 5 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School has around 415 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School in 2024/25. 7.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary 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 Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 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 Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School?
Scarning Voluntary Controlled Primary School is at Dereham Road, Scarning, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 2PW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)