Redcastle Family School
St Martin's Way, Thetford, IP24 3PUOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Redcastle Family School is a primary school in Thetford for ages 2 to 11. It is one of the 453 schools in Norfolk. It ranks 7th of 18 primary schools in Thetford. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in November 2022.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 15 November 2022, report published 15 January 2023
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 15 November 2022
Redcastle Family School truly is a 'family' school, where pupils are happy, safe and enjoy learning. Adults care deeply for pupils and know them well. Pupils are valued, listened to, and seen as individuals. The positive relationships between adults and pupils mean that most behave very well. Pupils live up to the high expectations adults set. They work hard in class, listen to each other, and enjoy socialising in the playground. Pupils know that everyone is different. They enjoy learning about people's different beliefs and backgrounds and treat everyone as individuals. Pupils know the difference between bullying and falling out with friends. Bullying happens infrequently. If it does happen, adults step in quickly to deal with it. Pupils know that adults will help them if they have a problem. The wide range of extra opportunities pupils have access to helps them develop as active and responsible citizens of Thetford. Older pupils love carrying out their 'monitor' roles. They develop a strong sense of responsibility.
What the school should improve
- In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the precise knowledge pupils need to know and remember. This means teachers are not clear on what to teach and when. Leaders should ensure that they complete the work they have already started to identify precisely what pupils need to learn in these remaining subjects so that pupils develop the detailed knowledge they need in order to do well.
- The 'individual learning plans' leaders use to set out the additional support pupils with SEND will receive are not always specific enough. They do not identify exactly what pupils will learn or be able to do. This makes it difficult for leaders to check whether additional support is working effectively. Leaders should ensure that individual learning plans for pupils with SEND contain sufficient information so they can check carefully that the support is helping pupils to learn well.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
33 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
277 pupils on roll, with places for 302
Schools near Redcastle Family School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queensway Junior Academy | 0.4 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | 51% met the expected standard |
| Queensway Infant Academy | 0.4 miles | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Not published |
| The Bishop's Church of England Primary Academy | 0.4 miles | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good | 27% met the expected standard |
| Norwich Road Academy | 0.7 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | 58% met the expected standard |
| Drake Primary School | 1 mile | Report card: Needs attention to strong standard | 40% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Community school
- Sector
- Local authority maintained
- Age range
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery classes
- Yes
- Headteacher
- Mr James Julian
- Phone
- 01842752239
- Address
- St Martin's Way, Thetford, IP24 3PU
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- URN
- 120905
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.