Highfield Ely Academy, Ely
Highfield Ely Academy is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 19 in Ely, part of The Active Learning Trust Limited. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2024 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Highfield Ely Academy in detail
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Highfield Ely Academy are Active Learning Trust Linc 19 - 25 (under 0.1 miles, Good); Highfield Littleport Academy (4.3 miles, Good); and The Harbour School (4.7 miles, Requires improvement).
Active Learning Trust Linc 19 - 25Highfield Littleport AcademyThe Harbour School
The trust
Highfield Ely Academy is one of 21 schools run by The Active Learning Trust Limited, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 18 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 39% to a further education college.
Who goes there
49.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 10.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%) and Mixed (7%).
Almost every pupil at Highfield Ely Academy has an education, health and care plan (134 of 134 in 2026). The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Highfield Ely Academy provides for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ely Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Northwold (near), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Highfield Ely Academy stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 147 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cambridgeshire (57), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Highfield Ely Academy issued 9 suspensions, 7.3 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
49.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
MLD, SLD
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 3 nearby schools
Keep up with Highfield Ely Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Highfield Ely Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Highfield Ely Academy 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
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
6 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
100%
Full
134 pupils
134 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Ely
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ely
Across Cambridgeshire council
Places available
7,228
Applications
6,755
Got 1st preference
88.3%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Cambridgeshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
134
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Highfield Ely Academy provides for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
134
Total Pupils
97
Boys
37
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
7.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,621
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.8%
Overall absence
19.5%
Persistent absence
113
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Highfield Ely Academy
What are SATs results like at Highfield Ely Academy?
Of the pupils at Highfield Ely Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Highfield Ely Academy's Ofsted rating?
Highfield Ely Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Highfield Ely Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Highfield Ely Academy is oversubscribed, Cambridgeshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Highfield Ely Academy?
Highfield Ely Academy has around 134 pupils on roll. 49% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Highfield Ely Academy have specialist SEN provision?
Highfield Ely Academy provides for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at Highfield Ely Academy?
6.8% of sessions were missed at Highfield Ely Academy in 2024/25. 19.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Highfield Ely Academy?
Apply through Cambridgeshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Highfield Ely Academy on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Highfield Ely Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 6 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 Highfield Ely Academy?
Highfield Ely Academy is at Downham Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 1BD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)