Downham Market Academy

Academy sponsor led·Secondary school Downham Market, Norfolk·PE38 9LL
Composite score
54.8
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#1,940
National rank
#216
In East of England
#34
In Norfolk
Top 61%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
43.8
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
35%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
59%
% EBacc grade 5+
14%
EBacc average points score
3.87

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
175 first choices, 193 places
First choices per place
0.91
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
248
any preference, for 193 places
Applications from another council area
1%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.20
00.511.5
1 per place
1.0320221.2020231.2320241.1020250.912026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

Every child who put Downham Market Academy first was offered a place in 2026, so no distance cut-off applied: living further away did not cost a place that year.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
1,333
Gender
Mixed

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
26.9%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
6.3%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
13.7%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.8%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
9.4%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
27.0%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
14.3
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,085
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
90%
174 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
78%
Apprenticeship
6%
Employment
6%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Location

About Downham Market Academy

Downham Market Academy is a secondary school in Downham Market, Norfolk, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy. Around 1,333 pupils aged 11 to 18 attend the school. The school holds a 'Good' judgement from Ofsted. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 43.8, broadly in line with the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 0.5 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

35% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 59% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Downham Market Academy was not oversubscribed for September 2026: all 175 families who put it first were offered a place. After Year 11, 90% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.4%. There are about 14.3 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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