Stretham Community Primary School

Stretham Community Primary School is performing well overall, with inspectors finding strong provision across education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years. Pupils are happy, feel safe and are respectful; they value the school’s clear expectations and take on responsibilities such as lunchtime ambassador and house captain. The school has a well-designed curriculum and is particularly ambitious for pupils to become confident readers, with a structured phonics programme and strong support for weaker readers. Provision for pupils with SEND is strong, attendance systems are effective, and early years offers a stimulating environment built around children’s interests. The main area for improvement is that learning is not always broken down into manageable chunks. When this happens, pupils can become overloaded, engage less and retain less of what they are taught. Leaders are expected to provide appropriate training so that pupils consistently secure knowledge in all lessons. Contextually, this was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have been several leadership changes since the previous inspection, including a new headteacher and deputy headteacher. Inspectors also noted that governors know the school well and have high ambition for its pupils.

Strengths

• Ambitious and well-sequenced reading curriculum from early years through Year 6
• Regular phonics assessment helps pupils master current learning before moving on
• Strong support for weaker readers
• Well-designed curriculum in most subjects with clear links to prior learning
• Staff check pupils’ understanding carefully
• Stimulating early years environment based on children’s interests
• Effective attendance monitoring and daily procedures for absent pupils
• Positive behaviour culture with clear routines and quick responses to poor behaviour
• Strong provision for pupils with SEND, including early identification and support
• Good personal development opportunities, including charity work and preparation for secondary school
• Governors have high ambition and an accurate understanding of the school’s challenges

Areas for Improvement

• In some lessons, learning is not broken down into manageable chunks
• Pupils can become overloaded, leading to reduced engagement and weaker retention
• Staff need appropriate training to consistently secure knowledge in all lessons

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 Stretham Community Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Stretham Community 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 Stretham Community Primary School had 20.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 15.1% of pupils at Stretham Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Stretham Community Primary School received £6,588 and spent £7,086 for each of its 185 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £50,000 (-£271 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 Stretham Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Stretham Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Stretham Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Stretham Community Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Stretham Community Primary School have?

Stretham Community Primary School has 185 pupils on roll.

What age range does Stretham Community Primary School cover?

Stretham Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Stretham Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Stretham Community Primary School?

Stretham Community Primary School is at Wood Lane, Stretham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 3JN.