Sign up free
Skip to main content

Schools across Cambridgeshire

Local authority · 312 schools across 31 towns

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cambridgeshire (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Cambridgeshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

Year 7 dates to calendar Reception dates to calendarHow to apply in Cambridgeshire →

Schools in Cambridgeshire (312)

Showing 20 of 312 schools

Total Schools

312

210 primary · 34 secondary

Total Pupils

102,235

84% capacity used

Ofsted Rated

92

8 outstanding · 84 good

Capacity

121,685

19,450 spare places

Ofsted Ratings

84
213
Outstanding: 8
Good: 84
Requires Improvement: 7
Not inspected: 213

Best Schools in Cambridgeshire

View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more

Area Performance (2026)

Attainment 8

38.8

GCSE Eng+Maths

36.0%

School Capacity

Primary Schools

83% full
50,601 pupils60,837 capacity

10,236 spare places

Secondary Schools

93% full
35,573 pupils38,228 capacity

2,655 spare places

Pupil Absence

Avg Overall Absence

5.9%

2024/25

Avg Persistent Absence

14.1%

2024/25

Schools Reporting

258

2024/25

Absence trend across Cambridgeshire schools

4.3%
18/19
4.3%
20/21
7.1%
21/22
6.5%
22/23
6.2%
23/24
5.9%
24/25

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Average across all open schools in this LA.

EHCP Timeliness

Issued Within 20 Weeks

7%

Plans Issued

693

Assessment Requests

1,978

Tribunal Cases

33

EHCP timeliness trend (% issued within 20 weeks)

79%
2019
77%
2020
68%
2021
37%
2022
45%
2023
8%
2024
7%
2025

Source: DfE EHCP timeliness statistics. Shows how quickly this LA issues Education, Health and Care Plans.

Admission Appeals

2026 admission appeals by school phase

Primary

8,546 admissions

180

Lodged

(2.1%)

106

Heard

33

Successful

(31%)

Primary (infant classes)

7,059 admissions

107

Lodged

(1.5%)

64

Heard

12

Successful

(19%)

Secondary

8,121 admissions

380

Lodged

(4.7%)

306

Heard

92

Successful

(30%)

Total

16,667 admissions

560

Lodged

(3.4%)

412

Heard

125

Successful

(30%)

Total appeals lodged per year

837
2019
858
2020
819
2021
621
2022
878
2023
1190
2024
1179
2025
1227
2026

Source: DfE admission appeals statistics. Shows how competitive school places are in this area.

Towns in Cambridgeshire

Cambridge

129 schools

Huntingdon

35 schools

Wisbech

29 schools

Ely

28 schools

St Neots

17 schools

Peterborough

13 schools

Royston

9 schools

March

9 schools

St Ives

7 schools

Newmarket

5 schools

St. Neots

4 schools

Chatteris

3 schools

Cambridgeshire

3 schools

Nr Royston

2 schools

Alconbury Weald

2 schools

Sandy

2 schools

Ramsey

1 schools

Fordham

1 schools

Cambourne

1 schools

Brington

1 schools

Questions parents ask about schools in Cambridgeshire

How many schools are there in Cambridgeshire?

Cambridgeshire has 312 open schools: 210 state primary, 37 state secondary or all-through, 22 independent, 30 special and 13 others.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Cambridgeshire are rated Outstanding?

25 schools in Cambridgeshire were rated Outstanding at their most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Hills Road Sixth Form College, Histon and Impington Park Primary School, Soham Village College, St Bede's Inter-Church School, The Cavendish School and 20 more. Counting Good as well, 92% of the 271 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Hills Road Sixth Form CollegeHiston and Impington Park Primary SchoolSoham Village CollegeSt Bede's Inter-Church SchoolThe Cavendish School

Source: Ofsted

Which secondary schools in Cambridgeshire get the best GCSE results?

Of the 39 schools in Cambridgeshire with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at Parkside Community College, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.9 and 82% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; Chesterton Community College, with an Attainment 8 score of 65.4 and 73% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and St Bede's Inter-Church School, with an Attainment 8 score of 62.9 and 75% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.

Parkside Community CollegeChesterton Community CollegeSt Bede's Inter-Church School

Source: DfE school performance data

Which primary schools in Cambridgeshire have the best SATs results?

3 of the 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire with 2025 Key Stage 2 results had every pupil reach the expected standard in both reading and maths: Abbots Ripton CofE Primary School, Kimbolton Primary Academy and Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School. Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Abbots Ripton CofE Primary SchoolKimbolton Primary AcademyMepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Cambridgeshire?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Cambridgeshire selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

How close do you need to live to get into schools in Cambridgeshire?

It depends on the school, and the cut-off moves every year with the number of applications. Cambridgeshire published how far the last place offered went at these schools: Bassingbourn Village College, 2.095 miles for 2024 entry; Bottisham Village College, 6.403 miles for 2024 entry; Cambourne Village College, 6.709 miles for 2024 entry; Chesterton Community College, 0.37 miles for 2024 entry; Coleridge Community College, 7.947 miles for 2024 entry. We hold figures for 25 schools in Cambridgeshire; each school's page has its own history. These are the authority's own figures, not fixed boundaries.

Bassingbourn Village CollegeBottisham Village CollegeCambourne Village CollegeChesterton Community CollegeColeridge Community College

Source: Cambridgeshire admissions booklets

How do I apply for a school place in Cambridgeshire?

Apply to Cambridgeshire through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.

Explore More

The Great School Divide
Anatomy of Outstanding
League Tables