The King's (The Cathedral) School, Peterborough
The King's (The Cathedral) School is an all-through school for pupils aged 7 to 18 in Peterborough, part of The King's (the Cathedral) School, Peterborough. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the highest of the 15 schools in Peterborough with published results, and 238th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 2.9 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 109% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- 2.9 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Peterborough (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The King's (The Cathedral) School in detail
The King's (The Cathedral) School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include robotics, STEM and gardening.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at The King's (The Cathedral) School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 60.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.5 in Peterborough and 47 across England.
70% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Peterborough and 47% in England.
That is down from 63.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.73: pupils made well above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 47.3, against 62.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 15.4 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Biology.
Getting a place at The King's (The Cathedral) School
For September 2026 entry, 366 families put The King's (The Cathedral) School as their first choice and 701 named it as one of their preferences, for 127 places offered. That is 2.9 first choices for every place. 241 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The King's (The Cathedral) School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The King's (The Cathedral) School are Thomas Deacon Academy (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 40.4); Greater Peterborough UTC (0.4 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.7); St John Fisher Catholic High School (0.7 miles); and Clare Lodge (0.7 miles).
The King's (The Cathedral) School's 2026 results were higher than all 2 of them.
Thomas Deacon AcademyGreater Peterborough UTCSt John Fisher Catholic High SchoolClare Lodge
The trust
The King's (The Cathedral) School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 176 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 17% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 181 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 76% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 9% into work. 52% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (41%), Asian (22%) and Black (15%).
In 2026, 74 pupils (5.9%) received SEN support and 57 (4.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Peterborough Rail Station, about 1060 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kings School (near), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 944 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 Peterborough (275), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The King's (The Cathedral) School issued 54 suspensions, 4.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The King's (The Cathedral) School are Queen's Drive Infant School (0.3 miles), The Beeches Primary School (0.4 miles), Lime Academy Abbotsmede (0.4 miles) and Gladstone Primary Academy (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Queen's Drive Infant SchoolThe Beeches Primary SchoolLime Academy AbbotsmedeGladstone Primary Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school provides the fertile ground in which pupils can grow in intellect and develop strength of character. Staff and pupils aim for excellence. They achieve it. Pupils achieve highly in all areas of education. This includes musical, cultural and sporting achievements which pupils and the school are rightly proud of.
Lessons focus pupils' minds on important and interesting knowledge. Pupils engage in insightful conversation with staff. Pupils can add detail to their writing and their artwork is bold and technically accomplished. Staff model the joys and benefits of wider reading. Pupils keenly follow their good example, learning more about the topics they study.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum in many subjects goes well beyond the national curriculum requirements. Key to pupils' and sixth-form students' success is the way in which teachers expertly teach new knowledge. Teachers bring the well-sequenced curriculum to life through careful explanation and apt questioning. They ensure that pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise. This means that pupils are less likely to forget what they have learned. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. They use this information to adapt lessons. As a result, pupils and students typically achieve very well in their end of key stage tests and in their GCSE and A level examinations.
Staff use a well-sequenced programme to teach the small number of pupils who need to catch up with reading. These pupils quickly catch up. Pupils enjoy participating in wider reading opportunities in class. Teachers introduce pupils to stimulating and informative books. This inspires pupils to choose similar books to read at home. By the time pupils are ready to study set texts at GCSE, they have already encountered a large range of poetry, fiction and plays.
From Ofsted's July 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 Outstanding at its July 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
At a Glance
13.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.73 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 64.2 to 60.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 79% to 70% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 60.9 | 69.8% |
| Disadvantaged(17) | - | 47.3 | 47.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(132) | - | 62.7 | 72.7% |
| Boys(76) | - | 62.6 | 75% |
| Girls(73) | - | 59.1 | 64.4% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(10) | - | 60.0 | 70% |
| Non mobile(149) | - | 60.9 | 69.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 4 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 176 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
54
Suspensions
4.28%
Suspension rate
39 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,261 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with The King's (The Cathedral) School
Term dates
The King's (The Cathedral) School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Peterborough's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The King's (The Cathedral) School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The King's (The Cathedral) School is in Peterborough; for families living there:
- Peterborough's school travel policy: Mainstream school transport assistance policy
- How to apply: Apply online for school transport for 4 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 79
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 13
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 79 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 62 slight.
13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise.
13 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 Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 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 The King's (The Cathedral) School
Will you get a place at The King's (The Cathedral) School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The King's (The Cathedral) School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The King's (The Cathedral) School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The King's (The Cathedral) School.
- Peterborough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The King's (The Cathedral) School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The King's (The Cathedral) School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Peterborough 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
109%
Over capacity
1,258 pupils
1,150 places
108 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Peterborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Peterborough
Across Peterborough council
Places available
3,127
Applications
2,762
Got 1st preference
82.9%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Peterborough council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 2.9 first choices per place
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
74
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
10.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,256
Total Pupils
619
Boys
637
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
74
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,669
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,622
Per pupil
£6046k
Total funding
£114k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
17.1%
Persistent absence
879
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
The King's (The Cathedral) School
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about The King's (The Cathedral) School
What are GCSE results like at The King's (The Cathedral) School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The King's (The Cathedral) School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 60.9. 70% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The King's (The Cathedral) School's Ofsted rating?
The King's (The Cathedral) School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024.
What is the catchment area for The King's (The Cathedral) School?
No fixed boundary. When The King's (The Cathedral) School is oversubscribed, Peterborough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The King's (The Cathedral) School?
The King's (The Cathedral) School was full in 2025, at 109% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The King's (The Cathedral) School?
Classes at The King's (The Cathedral) School average 21.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The King's (The Cathedral) School?
The King's (The Cathedral) School has around 1256 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The King's (The Cathedral) School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at The King's (The Cathedral) School in 2024/25. 17.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The King's (The Cathedral) School?
Apply through Peterborough's coordinated admissions process, naming The King's (The Cathedral) School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The King's (The Cathedral) School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 79 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 62 slight. 13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 9 in a vehicle or otherwise. 13 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 Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The King's (The Cathedral) School?
The King's (The Cathedral) School is at Park Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE1 2UE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)