The Shade Primary School, Ely

In its own words: "A love for learning is at the heart of The Shade Primary School We are respectful, we are responsible, we are resilient, we are reflective and we are ready to learn. We believe all children should be taught kindness, respect, empathy, compassion and resilience."

The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £6.66 per session.

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils at The Shade Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 81% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 74% in Cambridgeshire and 77% and 75% across England.

Results rose from 72% in reading and 59% in maths in 2024.

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

For September 2026 entry, 35 families put The Shade Primary School as their first choice and 85 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to The Shade Primary School are The Weatheralls Primary School (1.2 miles, Requires improvement, 67% reading, 69% maths); St Andrew's CofE Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 80% maths); Little Thetford CofE Primary School (3.4 miles, 77% reading, 85% maths); and Isleham Church of England Primary School (3.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 80% maths).

The Shade Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

The Shade Primary School is one of 22 schools run by Anglian Learning, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

45 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Shade Primary School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 89% say their child is happy there and 56% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (56%).

14.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 26.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (68%) and Mixed (6%).

In 2026, 45 pupils (18%) received SEN support and 17 (6.8%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.

The Shade Primary School had 17 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest railway station is Soham, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.

2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Barcham Road (near), 240 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 15 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Cambridgeshire (57).

In 2024/25, The Shade Primary School issued 6 suspensions, 2.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.