The College of West Anglia, King's Lynn
The College of West Anglia is a post-16 school for pupils aged 16 to 99 in King's Lynn. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
The College of West Anglia in detail
The College of West Anglia in its own words
In its own words: "In 2008 I completed my Apprenticeship at the College of West Anglia. Then in 2010 I decided to branch out on my own and went on to set up my own Gas Safe registered business, which operated in and around King’s Lynn and the local villages."
Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 11 November 2026. 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
Where pupils go next
Of the 1400 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 10% went on to university or other higher education, 8% to apprenticeships and 42% into work. 0% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kings Lynn Rail Station, about 550 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Woolpack (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 349 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE destination measures; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Contribution to meeting skills needs: Reasonable
Source: Ofsted, further education and skills inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The College of West Anglia creates a welcoming, inclusive environment where all learners thrive. Teachers provide expert, personalised support that builds confidence and resilience, while offering enriching activities like competitions, masterclasses and work experience that prepare students well for their future careers. The college maintains strong connections with employers and local communities to ensure courses meet real skills needs in the region.
Key Strengths
- Learners with high needs thrive and achieve well, developing formal qualifications and strong sense of belonging in a supportive environment
- Highly inclusive and welcoming culture where LGBTQ+ learners feel respected and safe, with staff using chosen names and pronouns
- Effective teaching methods that build knowledge incrementally, with strong subject expertise from teachers bringing learning to life
- Comprehensive careers guidance and work experience opportunities that prepare learners well for next steps
- Wide range of enrichment activities including masterclasses, competitions and trips tailored to different subject areas
Areas for Improvement
- Involvement of stakeholders in curriculum design and implementation is less developed in a few courses
Safeguarding
Learners and apprentices feel safe at the college due to caring staff, secure measures, and prompt action taken on concerns, with appropriate referrals made when needed.
Extracurricular Activities
Prosthetics masterclasses, international dog shows, dressage competitions, World Skills UK competitions, careers fairs, work experience placements, internal and external competitions
The College of West Anglia is a large further education college operating from four sites in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, serving over 5,500 learners across young people's education programmes, adult learning, and apprenticeships. The college has maintained a Good overall effectiveness rating.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Special Measures
Sixth Form Performance (A-Level)
A-Level Results
D+
Average grade
24.1
Points per entry
D
Best 3 A-Levels
0%
Achieving AAB+
Well below average
Value added
49
A-Level students
44%
Retention rate
2024/25 academic year
A-Level Subjects Offered
2024/25 academic year - entries by number of students
After A-Levels - Leaver Destinations
After A-Levels (Year 13) - 1,400 students
2023/24 data
University & Higher Education Destinations
0%
Top-third university
24%
Degree course
27%
Any L4+ destination
2%
Apprenticeships
Based on 476 students completing 16-18 study
2022/23 cohort - "Top-third" = most selective third of UK universities by student intake
Latest from The College of West Anglia
Open Morning - Sports campus, 17th Oct 2026
30 Jun 2026
Open Morning
30 Jun 2026
College of West Anglia T-Level Students organise successful careers event.
30 Jun 2026
From The College of West Anglia's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with The College of West Anglia
Nurseries
Apple Wood Children's Nursery is at The College of West Anglia. Ofsted, 24 August 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective.
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to The College of West Anglia, with their latest published grades:
- Giggles N Squiggles Discovery - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted, 7 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Mr Bee's St Augustine's - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted, 5 October 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Gaywood First Steps - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 29 June 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Kip McGrath - King's Lynn - Pre-school, 0.4 miles
- Tom Thumb Nursery: The Willows - Day nursery, 0.6 milesOfsted, 26 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 45
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 11
- Children hurt
- 12
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 34 slight.
12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 8 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 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 are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
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.
New homes granted nearby
Councils granted planning permission for at least 11 new homes within 2 miles of The College of West Anglia since October 2023.
Largest schemes
- 11 homes at NHS St James Medical Practice County Court Road King's Lynn Norfolk PE30 5SYKings Lynn, ref 24/00622/FM - granted 3 September 2024, 0.5 miles away
Schemes of 10 or more homes. Only full and outline permissions with the number of homes stated in the application are counted, and applications that may be for the same homes are counted once, so the true figure can be higher. Source: councils' planning registers.
Inspection History(10)
Questions parents ask about The College of West Anglia
What is The College of West Anglia's Ofsted rating?
The College of West Anglia was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025.
How many road collisions happen near The College of West Anglia?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 45 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 11 serious and 34 slight. 12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 8 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 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 The College of West Anglia?
The College of West Anglia is at Tennyson Avenue, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 2QW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)