Sir Harry Smith Community College, Peterborough
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The school offers pupils a broad range of learning experiences and extracurricular activities to help them explore their interests. Staff are working hard to support pupil behaviour and wellbeing, with pastoral teams providing positive guidance. The school helps prepare pupils for their next steps through connections with employers, apprenticeship providers and higher education support.
Key Strengths
- Broad and ambitious curriculum with consistent lesson structure including recap of prior learning
- Range of extracurricular opportunities and support for pupil career choices
- Support for pupils with reading difficulties helps them access the curriculum
- Pastoral staff provide positive support for behaviour and wellbeing
- Clear expectations for behaviour and uniform have been successfully strengthened
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent quality of teaching means pupils have gaps in knowledge and don't achieve as well as they should
- Staff lack expertise to adapt curriculum effectively for pupils with SEND
- School systems don't provide detailed information about pupil achievement, attendance and behaviour to help leaders make decisions
- Personal development curriculum not delivered consistently enough
- Attendance below national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, coding club, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, trips to local air museum, annual school musical
Sir Harry Smith Community College is a secondary comprehensive school with a broad curriculum, but the quality of teaching is inconsistent and pupils are not achieving as well as they should. The school has made some improvements to behaviour expectations, but several areas require significant development.
At a Glance
27.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
61 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
21.5
Avg class size
48
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
1,084 pupils
1,210 capacity
126 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Peterborough
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Peterborough
Admissions Demand - Cambridgeshire
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(4)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
11.63661%
Overall absence
29.83479%
Persistent absence
1,029
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Sir Harry Smith Community College
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