Smithdon High School
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Mixed · Norfolk
Downs Road, Hunstanton, PE36 5HY
57
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Good
Graded 07/11/2023
Application demand
95%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
87.7%
34.2% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
579
Capacity used
Has space77%
750 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Secondary entry · official council applications and offers
95%
1st preference success rate
93 of 98 families who put it first got an offer
101
Places offered
127
Total applications
1.3
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 98 | 93 | ● 95% |
| 2nd preference | 18 | 8 | ● 44% |
| 3rd preference | 5 | 0 | ● 0% |
| 4th preference | 6 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 127 | 101 | 80% |
1st preference success by year
Norfolk lets families list 4 preferences. 1 applications came from outside the council area (0 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Age range
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Sarah Robinson
- Address
- Downs Road, Hunstanton, PE36 5HY
- Phone
- 01485534541
- Local authority
- Norfolk
- Ward / constituency
- Hunstanton · North West Norfolk
- Area
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 143520
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 27% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 3% | — | — |
| SEN support | 18% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 3 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: WEST NORFOLK ACADEMIES TRUST
579 pupils · 750 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 23
07 November 2023
Full graded inspection
Good overall effectivenessPersonal development Good Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Good Leadership and management Good
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 582 pupils
Attendance
87.7%
Share of sessions attended · England 91.1%
Overall absence
12.3%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 8.9%
Persistent absence
34.2%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 26.7%
Severe absence
7.2%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
4.5%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
GCSE results
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 39.9 | — | — |
| Progress 8 score | -0.41 | — | 0.00 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 32% | — | — |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 54% | — | — |
| EBacc average point score | 3.59 | — | — |
Progress 8 band
GCSE results over time
Attainment 8 by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 | 40.3 | 46 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths | 27.7% | 46% |
| Grade 4+ English & maths | 53.2% | 65% |
| Entering EBacc | 57.4% | 40% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.71 | 4.1 |
| Pupils in cohort | 94 | — |
How different pupils progress (GCSE, 2023/2024)
Progress 8 by group. 0 is the national average; above 0 means pupils do better than similar children elsewhere.
Results by subject
Official DfE exam results for summer 2025. Green, amber and red compare against typical results in England; subjects with fewer than 5 entries aren't rated.
GCSE
Grade 4 is a standard pass, 5 a strong pass, 7 equals the old A.
| Subject | Entries | Grade 7+ | Grade 5+ | Grade 4+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 94 | 11% | 45% | 69% | |
| English Literature | 94 | 4% | 26% | 45% | |
| English Language | 93 | 4% | 31% | 52% | |
| Combined Science | 86 | 1% | 28% | 50% | |
| History | 58 | 16% | 47% | 57% | |
| French | 45 | 7% | 31% | 44% | |
| Geography | 43 | 12% | 44% | 58% | |
| Physical Education | 28 | 11% | 36% | 61% | |
| Business | 25 | 16% | 32% | 60% | |
| Design & Technology | 21 | 14% | 48% | 62% | |
| Art and Design | 18 | 17% | 39% | 72% | |
| Drama | 16 | 13% | 44% | 75% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Norfolk council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 (secondary) | 31 October | 1 March (or next working day) |
Admissions policy: Non-selective. Check the school's own admissions rules on its website.
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.