Pathfinder CofE Primary School, Cambridge
Pathfinder CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Cambridge, part of Grace Schools. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 37th-highest of the 76 schools in Cambridge with published results, and 5,545th of 14,452 across England. It was 67% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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
Pathfinder CofE Primary School in detail
Pathfinder CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We have an ambitious vision for our school that includes embedding a caring ethos and a culture of success. We will support our pupils' growth as people enabling them to contribute positively and achieve academic excellence."
The school runs after-school care, from £31 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Pathfinder CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% 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 (75% in reading, 84% in maths).
Getting a place at Pathfinder CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put Pathfinder CofE Primary School as their first choice and 74 named it as one of their preferences, for 38 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Pathfinder CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Pathfinder CofE Primary School are Hatton Park Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 86% maths); Willingham Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 68% reading, 70% maths); Oakington CofE Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 81% reading, 77% maths); and Over Primary School (2.5 miles, Requires improvement, 73% reading, 61% maths).
Pathfinder CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Hatton Park Primary SchoolWillingham Primary SchoolOakington CofE Primary SchoolOver Primary School
The trust
Pathfinder CofE Primary School is one of 38 schools run by Grace Schools, an academy trust.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Pathfinder CofE Primary School.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Mistle Thrush Drive (near), 170 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Pathfinder CofE Primary School issued 21 suspensions, 4.5 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are happy and safe at Pathfinder. Staff are positive role models. They teach pupils how to be respectful and kind. This is reflected in the way that pupils conduct themselves in lessons and at playtimes. Overall, pupils behave very well.
Expectations for what pupils can achieve have risen considerably over the past year. Pupils' knowledge is improving thanks to the improved curriculum in Years 1 to 6. Classrooms are well organised and positive places in which to learn. In the early years, change has been slower. Children are starting to benefit from the changes the school and trust have made. However, there is more to do to ensure that children in the early years are as well prepared for Year 1 as they should be.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has recently undergone significant change. The school has expanded, and class sizes have grown. As a result, the curriculum has been reorganised. In most subjects, the school has introduced new curriculums for key stages 1 and 2. These clearly set out the knowledge that pupils need to understand as they get older. In a few subjects, the school is in the process of reviewing curriculum plans. Here, the important knowledge is not as clearly set out or well organised. This makes it harder to plan sequences of lessons that build pupils' knowledge over time.
Teachers typically present information clearly to pupils. A sharp focus on improving the quality of pupils' writing has improved standards across the curriculum. Pupils organise and present their work with pride, reflecting their good attitudes in lessons.
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
21.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 84% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 84% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.8
Avg class size
23.1
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
17
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Pathfinder CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Pathfinder CofE Primary School.
- Kids Choice PathfinderAt the school · Not yet graded
- Ak-tivities LTD760m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Pathfinder CofE Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cambridgeshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Pathfinder CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Pathfinder CofE 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 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 Pathfinder CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Pathfinder CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Pathfinder CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Pathfinder CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Pathfinder CofE Primary School.
- Cambridgeshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Pathfinder CofE Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Pathfinder CofE Primary School for 2022 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
67%
Available places
422 pupils
630 places
208 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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
68
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
17.6%
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
22
Teachers
21.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,048
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,154
Per pupil
£2275k
Total funding
£118k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
12.8%
Persistent absence
390
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
Pathfinder CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Pathfinder CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Pathfinder CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is Pathfinder CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Pathfinder CofE Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024.
What is the catchment area for Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Pathfinder CofE 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 Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Pathfinder CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 67% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Classes at Pathfinder CofE Primary School average 27.8 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Pathfinder CofE Primary School has around 471 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Pathfinder CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 12.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Apply through Cambridgeshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Pathfinder CofE 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 Pathfinder CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kids Choice Pathfinder (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 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 Pathfinder CofE Primary School?
Pathfinder CofE Primary School is at Pathfinder Way, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 3DS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)