Cottenham Primary School, Cambridge
Cottenham Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Cambridge. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 46th-highest of the 76 schools in Cambridge with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 76% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cottenham Primary School in detail
Cottenham Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, gymnastics, cross-country, dance, choir and art.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Cottenham Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in Cambridgeshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (81% in reading, 80% in maths).
Getting a place at Cottenham Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 65 families put Cottenham Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 65 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Cottenham Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cottenham Primary School are Histon and Impington Park Primary School (2 miles, Outstanding, 92% reading, 88% maths); Histon and Impington Brook Primary School (2.4 miles, Outstanding, 95% reading, 97% maths); Pathfinder CofE Primary School (2.8 miles, Good, 72% reading, 89% maths); and Oakington CofE Primary School (2.8 miles, Good, 81% reading, 77% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Cottenham Primary School.
Histon and Impington Park Primary SchoolHiston and Impington Brook Primary SchoolPathfinder CofE Primary SchoolOakington CofE Primary School
Who goes there
In 2026, 51 pupils (10.8%) received SEN support and 18 (3.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Staffing
Cottenham Primary School had 33 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Cottenham Primary School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Victory Way (near), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cottenham Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cottenham Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
17.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 78% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Cottenham Primary School
Heatwave 25th June 2026
25 Jun 2026
Hilltop 2026 photos now live!
3 Jun 2026
Young Carer Awareness
5 Feb 2026
Children in Need 2025
14 Nov 2025
Hilltop Photos
4 Jun 2025
CPS Newsletter Autumn 2 2025
From Cottenham Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Cottenham Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cottenham Primary School.
- Football Fun Camp610m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cottenham Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cambridgeshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cottenham Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cottenham Primary School is in Cambridgeshire; for families living there:
- Cambridgeshire's school travel policy: School Travel Assistance Policy - Mainstream September 2025 326KB - pdf
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Cambridgeshire is 5 (the median across 312 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Cottenham Primary School
Will you get a place at Cottenham Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cottenham Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cottenham Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cottenham Primary School.
- Cambridgeshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Cottenham Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cottenham Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cambridgeshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
76%
Available places
480 pupils
630 places
150 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cambridge
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cambridge
Across Cambridgeshire council
Places available
8,107
Applications
6,292
Got 1st preference
94.7%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Cambridgeshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
51
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
14.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
471
Total Pupils
249
Boys
222
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
33
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,451
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,124
Per pupil
£2726k
Total funding
£136k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.5%
Overall absence
8.6%
Persistent absence
431
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Cottenham Primary School
Questions parents ask about Cottenham Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cottenham Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cottenham Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is Cottenham Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cottenham Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2023.
What is the catchment area for Cottenham Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cottenham Primary School is oversubscribed, Cambridgeshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cottenham Primary School?
Cottenham Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 630 places.
How many pupils go to Cottenham Primary School?
Cottenham Primary School has around 471 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cottenham Primary School?
4.5% of sessions were missed at Cottenham Primary School in 2024/25. 8.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cottenham Primary School?
Apply through Cambridgeshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cottenham Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Cottenham Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Cottenham Primary School: Football Fun Camp (610m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Cottenham Primary School's term dates?
Cottenham Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Cambridgeshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Cottenham Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Cambridgeshire is 5 (the median across 312 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cottenham Primary School?
Cottenham Primary School is at Lambs Lane, Cottenham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 8TA.
Sources: Cambridgeshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)