Spring Common Academy, Huntingdon

Outstanding
Special
Academy special converter
Mixed
Ages 219

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Leigh Aitken
Pupils:211 / 209 capacity
LA:Cambridgeshire
Phone:01480377403
Address:American Lane, Huntingdon, PE29 1TQ
Trust:HORIZONS EDUCATION TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 January 2016

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Requires Improvement

Sixth Form

Inspected 17 June 2025View full report
URN:142557
UKPRN:10055166
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Huntingdon
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The school creates warm, caring environments where pupils develop positive relationships with staff and peers. Staff work hard to support pupils' medical and therapeutic needs, partnering effectively with health professionals. Pupils enjoy activities like careers events and volunteering that build confidence and prepare them for life after school.

Key Strengths

  • Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils that help them stay focused and engaged
  • Effective use of sensory and practical teaching methods in areas like hydrotherapy and swimming
  • Strong advocacy for pupils' additional needs, working well with health professionals and external specialists
  • Improving attendance, behaviour and sense of safety through effective policies and systems
  • Positive behaviour celebrated regularly through assemblies and reward schemes

Areas for Improvement

  • Curriculum lacks clear definition of what knowledge and skills pupils should learn at each stage
  • Teaching of phonics and reading is inconsistent, with pupils sometimes staying on the same book too long
  • Early years staff lack sufficient guidance on using high-quality equipment effectively
  • Communication strategies are not used consistently across staff, limiting pupils' independence
  • Leadership of curriculum areas needs stronger subject knowledge to support teaching quality

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and support pupils' attendance and wellbeing.

Extracurricular Activities

School council, exchange programme with Belgian school, careers events, volunteering in shops and schools, hydrotherapy, swimming

Spring Common Academy is a special school for pupils aged 2-19, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school requires improvement overall, though staff-pupil relationships are warm and behaviour is generally good.

At a Glance

49.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

20 responses
Would recommend75%
Child is happy90%
Well taught85%
Good progress60%
Feels safe70%
Well behaved80%
Bullying dealt with5%
Kept informed85%
Handles concerns60%
Wider development80%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
ReadingMathsWriting

Reading has remained stable at around 0%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

101%

Over capacity

211 pupils

209 capacity

2 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Huntingdon

High pressure
New homes approved:2,384
Projected new pupils:429

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Huntingdon

Admissions Demand - Cambridgeshire

Low demand0.95x oversubscription

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)

17 June 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
Sixth FormRequires Improvement
8 May 2024
27 November 2018

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

13.98494%

Overall absence

40.74074%

Persistent absence

189

Enrolments

Authorised12.60292%
Unauthorised1.38203%
Persistent (10%+)40.74074%
Severe (50%+)7.40741%

Absence trend

7.22568%
18/19
17.93198%
20/21
13.7073%
21/22
13.0399%
22/23
14.22936%
23/24
13.98494%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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