Robert Arkenstall Primary School

Robert Arkenstall Primary School continues to be recognized as a good school, noted for its friendly environment and emphasis on high expectations for learning. Pupils at the school display positive behavior, actively engaging with their peers and contributing to a supportive community. Parents express high satisfaction with their children’s happiness and safety, reinforcing the school's reputation as a supportive place for education. The school has effectively prioritized reading and has implemented a beneficial phonics program to enhance literacy from an early age, with particular support mechanisms in place for students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate positive behavior and support each other in learning.
• The school has a strong focus on reading and effective phonics teaching.
• Curriculum is ambitious and well-structured to prepare pupils for secondary school.
• Support for pupils with SEND is well-implemented and closely monitored.
• Leaders promote staff well-being and manage workloads effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Impact of new curriculum areas on pupils' knowledge and understanding is not yet proven.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Robert Arkenstall Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.7% of pupils at Robert Arkenstall Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Robert Arkenstall Primary School had 18.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.9% of pupils at Robert Arkenstall Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Robert Arkenstall Primary School received £6,949 and spent £7,164 for each of its 269 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £98,000 (£363 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Ely · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

What is Robert Arkenstall Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Robert Arkenstall Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

When was Robert Arkenstall Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Robert Arkenstall Primary School was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does Robert Arkenstall Primary School have?

Robert Arkenstall Primary School has 269 pupils on roll.

What age range does Robert Arkenstall Primary School cover?

Robert Arkenstall Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Robert Arkenstall Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Robert Arkenstall Primary School?

Robert Arkenstall Primary School is at Camping Close, High Street, Haddenham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3UA.