Downham Market

Summary

Downham Market (E02005567) is part of Norfolk local authority (view on map). Downham Market has an approximate population of 11,000 people, of which 16% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: further from a major town or city".

Downham Market neighbours Upwell, Delph & Emneth, and Stoke Ferry, Hilgay & Wimbotsham.

Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Downham Market is the 76th least deprived area in Norfolk (out of 113) with 35% of children living in low-income families, compared to 34% across Norfolk and 38% nationally.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Downham Market, 25% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 25% in Norfolk and 27% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Downham Market % in Norfolk % in England
Eligible for free school meals 25% 25% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 75% 75% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Downham Market, 17% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 22% in Norfolk, and 21% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Downham Market % in Norfolk % in England
No special educational needs 83% 78% 79%
Receiving special educational needs support 13% 15% 15%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 4% 7% 6%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Downham Market, 8% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 13% in Norfolk, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Downham Market % in Norfolk % in England
White 91% 87% 67%
Asian 2% 3% 14%
Black 1% 3% 7%
Mixed 3% 4% 7%
Other 1% 1% 3%
Not known 1% 2% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Downham Market with English as an additional language is 13%, compared with 14% in Norfolk, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Downham Market % in Norfolk % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 13% 14% 22%
Known or believed to be English 87% 86% 78%

Data source

Provider information

Jump to:

Registered childcare providers

Downham Market has 7 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Downham Market
All childcare providers 7
Childminders 3
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 4

There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Downham Market since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data source

State-funded schools

Downham Market has 3 state-funded schools.

Type Number in Downham Market
All state-funded schools 3
Nursery schools 0
Primary and all-through schools 2
Secondary and all-through schools 1
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 0

There have been no inspections of schools in Downham Market since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: