Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy, Thetford
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Thetford, part of The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 17 schools in Thetford with published results, and 203rd of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 96% of Year 6 pupils at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 100% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Norfolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 89% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 39 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 Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy are Toftwood Infant School (3 miles, Good); Dereham, Toftwood Community Junior School (3.1 miles, Good, 82% reading, 71% maths); St Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & Nursery (3.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 64% maths); and Dereham Church of England Junior Academy (3.4 miles, Good, 71% reading, 66% maths).
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Toftwood Infant SchoolDereham, Toftwood Community Junior SchoolSt Peter and St Paul Church of England Primary Academy & NurseryDereham Church of England Junior Academy
The trust
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is one of 42 schools run by The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 42 schools in The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 88% say their child is happy there and 47% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (92%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (47%).
Who goes there
11.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pound Green Lane (adjacent), 300 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy issued 6 suspensions, 2.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2020, 6 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Your child will delight in coming to school and will be encouraged to let their light shine through a wide range of enrichment opportunities. Teachers use skilled explanations and carefully check understanding before moving forward, helping all pupils including those needing extra support to become confident learners. By Year 6, pupils leave as well-rounded, compassionate and knowledgeable young people with very positive attitudes to learning.
Key Strengths
- Skilled teaching that makes accurate checks on pupil understanding, especially in early reading instruction
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs, tailored to individual needs
- Very high-quality personal development programme helping pupils try new things and develop independence
- Strong early years provision where children settle well and develop language skills
- Exceptionally high pupil attendance maintained through close monitoring and family support
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with school leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Circus skills, parachute games, school council, eco-council, digital leaders, ethos team, peace garden projects
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy provides a top-class education in a warm, caring environment where pupils thrive and achieve extremely well. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly since its last graded inspection in January 2020.
At a Glance
11.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 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)
Reading has improved from 89% to 96% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 89% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 85% to 96% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.3
Avg class size
21.8
Infant (KS1)
27.3
KS2
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy
Will you get a place at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy for 2015 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
90%
Near capacity
188 pupils
210 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Thetford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Thetford
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(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school has improved significantly.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
19.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
229
Total Pupils
125
Boys
104
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,984
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,100
Per pupil
£1088k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
5.7%
Persistent absence
176
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy
What are SATs results like at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Of the pupils at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 96% reached the expected standard in reading and 100% did so in maths.
What is Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's Ofsted rating?
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Classes at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy average 23.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy has around 229 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy in 2024/25. 5.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy 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 Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy?
Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy is at Pound Green, Shipdham, Thetford, Norfolk, IP25 7LF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)