Cambian Home Tree School, Wisbech

Special
Other independent special school
Mixed
Ages 1218

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Simon Paynter
Pupils:7 / 25 capacity
LA:Cambridgeshire
Phone:01945660988
Address:172 March Road, Friday Bridge, Wisbech, PE14 0LP
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:5 March 2015

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 6 months ago
-

Overall

Inspected 3 March 2026View full report
URN:141879
UKPRN:10061168
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:North East Cambridgeshire
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Staff at the school build strong, positive relationships with pupils and create a calm, respectful environment where bullying is rare. The school maintains good supervision ratios and handles behaviour incidents with a therapeutic approach. However, these strengths are undermined by serious failings in how safeguarding concerns are handled and a lack of consistent support for pupils' complex emotional and mental health needs.

Key Strengths

  • Staff maintain positive relationships with pupils and create a calm learning environment
  • Anti-bullying measures are effective with very rare incidents reported
  • Health and safety checks are well recorded and generally followed
  • Appropriate staffing ratios ensure pupils are well supervised
  • Behaviour records are detailed and physical intervention levels are low

Areas for Improvement

  • Safeguarding policy is not consistently followed and serious concerns have not always resulted in appropriate action
  • School leaders lack secure knowledge of safeguarding guidance and independent school standards
  • Attendance is not recorded accurately with systemic use of incorrect codes
  • Risk assessments are too generic and do not capture individual pupil risks, particularly for those who abscond
  • Support for pupils' complex therapeutic and mental health needs is inconsistent

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is not effective - the school has not consistently followed its policy, serious allegations have not been appropriately actioned, and the school has not applied sufficient professional curiosity to safeguarding concerns.

Cambian Home Tree School is an independent special school for pupils aged 12-18 with complex social, emotional and mental health needs. The school does not meet all independent school standards, with significant concerns identified around safeguarding practices and leadership oversight.

At a Glance

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

28%

Available places

7 pupils

25 capacity

18 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Wisbech

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,639
Projected new pupils:295

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Wisbech

Admissions Demand - Cambridgeshire

Low demand0.95x oversubscription

Places available

7,188

Applications

6,820

Got 1st preference

88.2%

Got preferred school

96.3%

Secondary admissions across Cambridgeshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(5)

3 March 2026
23 January 2024
12 July 2019

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SEN Provision

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Pupil Demographics

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