Find the best primary schools in King's Lynn and West Norfolk. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
King's Lynn and West Norfolk has 66 primary schools, across 2 council areas. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 66, 25 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any King's Lynn and West Norfolk primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating | Council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Tree Academy Trust Marham Infant | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| All Saints Academy | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Ingoldisthorpe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| St Martin At Shouldham Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Flitcham Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.2 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Downham Market, Hillcrest Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
There are 66 primary schools in King's Lynn and West Norfolk.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 66 primary schools in King's Lynn and West Norfolk, 25 have a religious character: 23 Church of England, 1 Christian and 1 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Cherry Tree Academy Trust Marham Infant (4.6), All Saints Academy (4.4), Ingoldisthorpe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (4.4), St Martin At Shouldham Church of England Primary Academy (4.3) and Flitcham Church of England Primary Academy (4.2). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 66 schools here, 65 have enough published data for a rating.
| Norfolk |
| North Wootton Academy | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Great Massingham CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| King's Oak Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Rudham CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Heacham Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Marshland St James Primary and Nursery School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Middleton Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Denver Voluntary Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Whitefriars Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| The Norman Church of England Primary School, Northwold | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Walpole Highway Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Watlington Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Eastgate Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Emneth Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Tilney All Saints CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Edmund de Moundeford VC Primary School, Feltwell | Christian | 3.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Snettisham Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Anthony Curton CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Sandringham and West Newton Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| West Lynn Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Reffley Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Iceni Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| St Martha's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| St Michael's Church of England Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Burnham Market Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Clenchwarton Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Greenpark Academy | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Holy Cross Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Ashwicken Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Gaywood Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| West Winch Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Dersingham Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Docking Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Hunstanton Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| South Wootton Infant School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Holly Meadows School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Magdalen Academy | Mixed | 3.2 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Hilgay Riverside Academy | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Cherry Tree Academy Trust Marham Junior | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| South Wootton Junior School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Gayton Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 2.9 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Beaupre Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 | Cambridgeshire |
| Terrington St Clement Community School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Duchy of Lancaster Methwold CofE Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| St Germans Academy | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Castle Acre Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 2.6 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Wimbotsham and Stow Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Southery Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Upwell Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Nelson Academy | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Harpley CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 2.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Tilney St Lawrence Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 | Norfolk |
| West Walton Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Heacham Junior School | Mixed | 2.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Walpole Cross Keys Primary School | Mixed | 1.9 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Fairstead Community Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 1.7 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Greyfriars Academy | Mixed | 1.5 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Howard Junior School | Mixed | 1.3 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Terrington St John Primary School | Mixed | 1.0 / 5 | Norfolk |
| Highgate Infant School | Mixed | Not yet rated | Norfolk |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.