Orchard Park Community Primary School, Cambridge

Ofsted's report card from its 7 July 2026 inspection grades Orchard Park Community Primary School on 7 areas: 4 needs attention and 3 urgent improvement. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Attendance remains too low, particularly for pupils who face the greatest barriers to regular attendance."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have reviewed the early years curriculum and introduced some changes to the provision."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Leaders have worked with external specialists and advisers to improve support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Pupils do not demonstrate a secure-enough understanding of the personal development curriculum."

Achievement - Urgent improvement. "Too many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, have not gained the knowledge and skills they need to progress successfully to the next stage of education."

Curriculum and teaching - Urgent improvement. "Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum or teaching."

Leadership and governance - Urgent improvement. "Leaders have not improved the school quickly enough."

Safeguarding standards were NOT met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders must strengthen the school's safeguarding systems by ensuring that concerns, referrals and actions are recorded accurately, acted on promptly and monitored rigorously, including for pupils attending alternative provision"; "Leaders and governors must fulfil their statutory responsibilities. They should provide effective oversight, challenge and quality assurance, particularly in relation to safeguarding, the school's use of alternative provision and its improvement priorities"; "Leaders must improve the consistency of curriculum implementation and teaching so that pupils build secure knowledge and skills across different subjects and are prepared well for their next stage of education"; "Leaders must ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to identify gaps in pupils' understanding, adapt learning to meet pupils' needs and provide feedback that helps pupils improve"; "Leaders must ensure that pupils who face barriers to learning, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language, receive consistently effective support"; "Leaders should improve pupils' attendance, particularly for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, so that pupils attend often and benefit fully from the education and support available"; "Leaders should evaluate the impact of the personal development and wellbeing programme more effectively so that pupils develop a secure understanding of life in modern Britain, diversity, relationships, safety and wellbeing".

In its own words: "Orchard Park Community Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive one-form entry school at the heart of the Orchard Park community. As the main entry point into education for local children, we provide a nurturing and supportive environment where every child is valued, encouraged, and inspired to achieve their best."

The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at Orchard Park Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 48% 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 (62% in reading, 48% in maths).

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 16 families put Orchard Park Community Primary School as their first choice and 31 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Orchard Park Community Primary School are St Laurence Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 70% reading, 67% maths); Kings Hedges Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 85% reading, 87% maths); Arbury Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 86% reading, 79% maths); and The Grove Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 64% reading, 64% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Orchard Park Community Primary School.

34.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Asian (31%), White British (29%) and Mixed (12%).

Orchard Park Community Primary School had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Cambridge North Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.

13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chariot Way (opposite), 50 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 189 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cambridgeshire (57), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Orchard Park Community Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Orchard Park Community Primary School are North Cambridge Academy (0.8 miles), Impington Village College (1 mile) and Chesterton Community College (1.1 miles).