Wymondham High Academy would grow from 1,610 to 1,900 places, with more Year 7 places from 2028. The trust's consultation closes at 5pm on 13 November.
Wymondham High Academy would grow by 290 places, from 1,610 to 1,900, under a proposal now out for consultation. The extra places would let the school take more pupils into Year 7, phased in from September 2028.
Enrich Learning Trust, which runs the school, opened the consultation on Tuesday 13 October. It closes at 5pm on Friday 13 November 2026. Anyone can respond, not only parents.
Why the school is expanding
The trust says the number of secondary-age children in Wymondham is rising because of new housing in and around the town. Norfolk County Council forecasts that more secondary places will be needed. The council asked the school to expand so local children can still get a place at their local secondary.
The school is already full. The Department for Education’s schools register records 1,686 pupils on roll against a capacity of 1,610.
What is being built
The places come from a new building on the existing site off Folly Road. The trust’s consultation document lists:
- a new sports hall
- new design and technology rooms
- new IT rooms
- new general classrooms
The building already has planning permission. Norfolk County Council approved it on 26 November 2025 under application FUL/2025/0004. That application describes a two-storey “West Block” with the sports hall, a new multi-use games area, a substation and a revised entrance off Norwich Road, with new parking and cycle spaces.
The county council is paying for it, not the school. The money comes from its basic need capital funding, section 106 payments from developers and the Greater Norwich Development Fund. Work is due to finish by 18 October 2027, with the new rooms in use from January 2028.
What would change for families
- Year 7 places rise gradually, one new year group at a time, from September 2028. Pupils already at the school are not affected.
- The admissions criteria stay the same. Only the number of places changes.
- The exact admission number is not set yet. Any change to it will go through a separate consultation on admission arrangements.
The trust says the extra places are meant to meet local growth, not to draw pupils from other schools.
What the trust wants to hear about
The document asks for views on the proposal as a whole, and on four points in particular:
- how the increase in Year 7 places is phased in
- community use of the new sports hall outside school hours
- traffic, parking and travel to school as pupil numbers grow
- keeping disruption to a minimum during the building work
What it means for you
- Respond by 5pm on 13 November. Use the online form linked from the consultation page, email the school, or post a response to Wymondham High Academy.
- If you live near Folly Road or Norwich Road, the traffic and parking question is the one to answer. School-run parking is also before South Norfolk Council on 19 October, where a motion proposes a school parking enforcement pilot that names Wymondham.
- If your child starts secondary school in 2028 or later, this is the change that decides how many Year 7 places there are.
What happens next
The trust will consider every response before deciding whether to go ahead. It then applies to the Department for Education, which makes the final decision. A summary of the responses will be published on the school’s website. We will report the outcome.
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