The Spinney Primary School, Cambridge

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~385m)Possible (~550m)Unlikely (~715m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Martha Hughes
Pupils:177 / 210 capacity
LA:Cambridgeshire
Phone:01223568836
Address:Hayster Drive, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, CB1 9PB
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:110765
UKPRN:10077851
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:South Cambridgeshire
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

The Spinney Primary School excels at creating a warm, inclusive environment where all children feel valued and safe. Staff prioritize vocabulary development and reading, helping pupils become confident learners. The school goes the extra mile to support vulnerable pupils by removing barriers to participation in clubs, trips and wider opportunities, ensuring every child feels part of the community.

Key Strengths

  • Excellent safeguarding culture with open communication and all legal requirements met
  • Strong early years provision with highly effective teaching and well-designed curriculum
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, including use of additional funding
  • Well-established behavior routines and positive relationships throughout the school
  • Strong focus on reading and phonics, with many pupils becoming confident, fluent readers

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils not securing knowledge quickly enough in writing and mathematics
  • Letter formation and orientation in writing not taught as early or as effectively as needed
  • Inconsistent checking of accuracy in mathematical recording and presentation
  • Attendance needs continued focus for some pupils despite targeted support

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders and governors have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Breakfast club, ambassadors roles, assemblies, school trips, visiting speakers and community visitors

The Spinney Primary School provides education at the expected standard with strong safeguarding practices. Leaders have created a broad, well-sequenced curriculum and established a positive school culture where pupils feel safe and enjoy learning.

At a Glance

9.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-7ppMaths-7ppWriting-3pp

Reading has declined from 86% to 79%. Maths has declined from 86% to 79%. Writing has remained stable at around 79%.

Class Sizes

27.5

Avg class size

27.5

KS2

4

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

84%

Available places

177 pupils

210 capacity

33 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Cambridge

Low pressure
New homes approved:8,345
Projected new pupils:2,086

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Cambridge

Admissions Demand - Cambridgeshire

Low demand0.78x oversubscription

Places available

8,190

Applications

6,413

Got 1st preference

94.4%

Got preferred school

98.8%

Primary admissions across Cambridgeshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(105)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

3.62655%

Overall absence

9.83607%

Persistent absence

183

Enrolments

Authorised2.75162%
Unauthorised0.87492%
Persistent (10%+)9.83607%
Severe (50%+)3.27869%

Absence trend

2.49814%
18/19
1.58465%
20/21
5.72648%
21/22
4.58267%
22/23
5.31594%
23/24
3.62655%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.