Find the best primary schools in North Norfolk. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
North Norfolk has 47 primary schools, all in Norfolk council's area. 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 47, 15 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 North 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Stalham Infant School and Nursery | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Blakeney Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| East Ruston Infant School & Nursery | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, Cromer | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Fakenham Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Tunstead Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Mundesley Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Corpusty Primary School |
There are 47 primary schools in North 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. If you live in North Norfolk, that council is Norfolk. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 47 primary schools in North Norfolk, 15 have a religious character: 15 Church of England. 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 Stalham Infant School and Nursery (4.8), Blakeney Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (4.7), East Ruston Infant School & Nursery (4.4), Suffield Park Infant and Nursery School, Cromer (4.4) and Fakenham Infant and Nursery School (4.3). 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 47 schools here, 43 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.0 / 5 |
| North Walsham Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Sculthorpe Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Stalham Academy | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Colby Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Langham Village School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Hindringham Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Aldborough Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Blenheim Park Academy | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Antingham and Southrepps Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Catfield CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.6 / 5 |
| Sheringham Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Ludham Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Cromer Junior School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Gresham Village School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Worstead Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.3 / 5 |
| Bacton Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Swanton Abbott Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Neatishead Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 / 5 |
| Erpingham Voluntary Controlled Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.1 / 5 |
| St John's Community Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Horning Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Walsingham CE VA Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Fakenham Junior School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Mundesley Junior School | Mixed | 2.9 / 5 |
| Millfield Primary School | Mixed | 2.8 / 5 |
| Kelling CE Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Overstrand, the Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 2.7 / 5 |
| Astley Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 2.5 / 5 |
| Holt Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Happisburgh Church of England Primary Academy | Church of England | 2.0 / 5 |
| Little Snoring Community Primary Academy | Mixed | 1.9 / 5 |
| All Saints Stibbard Church of England Primary Academy and Nursery | Church of England | 1.8 / 5 |
| North Walsham Junior School | Mixed | 1.8 / 5 |
| Hickling CofE Infants Academy | Church of England | Not yet rated |
| Ludham Primary School and Nursery | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Northrepps Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
| Sutton Church of England Infant Acdemy | Church of England | Not yet rated |
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.