Isleham Church of England Primary School

Isleham Church of England Primary School is a smaller-than-average primary school that was inspected in a full section 5 inspection. Safeguarding standards are met. Provision is strongest in attendance and behaviour and in personal development and wellbeing, where pupils benefit from calm routines, warm relationships, high attendance, low persistent absence, and a well-planned programme that develops respect, responsibility and safety. Pupils behave well, feel safe and take on roles supporting younger children; the school's Christian character underpins a caring community. In the remaining areas — achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance — the school is performing at the expected standard. Pupils generally achieve in line with national averages, reading outcomes in 2024/25 were above national, and most pupils, including many with SEND, are prepared for the next stage. However, learning is less secure in some subjects where key knowledge is not built consistently, and teaching does not always check understanding or adapt tasks precisely. Support for pupils with SEND and some disadvantaged pupils varies, and disadvantaged pupils' combined reading, writing and mathematics and writing outcomes are below national averages with large gaps. Recent leadership changes have brought clear direction, but many improvements are new and not yet fully embedded. The school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEN support and a lower-than-average proportion with EHC plans; it uses three unregistered alternative providers. Leaders' next steps focus on ensuring staff take precise actions so all pupils with SEND consistently receive the support needed to maximise progress, and on continuing to embed curriculum and teaching improvements so pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills across a range of subjects.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open culture of safeguarding.
• Attendance is consistently high and above national figures for most pupils, with persistent absence low.
• Leaders have clear, consistent systems to promote attendance and act swiftly to remove barriers.
• Pupils behave well in a calm, orderly environment with clear routines applied consistently.
• Bullying is uncommon and pupils feel safe and confident that staff will help.
• Personal development is well planned and teaches respect, responsibility, kindness, safety and wellbeing.
• Older pupils take responsibility and support younger pupils, modelling positive behaviour.
• Pupils learn about different communities, beliefs and fairness and apply this in school life.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, can access clubs, trips and wider school life.
• Reading, writing and mathematics have been strengthened, with reading outcomes above national in 2024/25.
• Early years children settle quickly and benefit from caring relationships and well-planned activities.
• Leaders have improved communication with families and support staff workload and wellbeing.
• Governance understands the school's priorities and provides appropriate support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently build on key knowledge, so depth of learning varies.
• Teaching does not always check pupils' understanding closely enough or adapt tasks accurately to meet needs.
• Support for some pupils with SEND is not consistently matched closely enough to individual needs or reviewed well enough.
• Some disadvantaged pupils' outcomes in combined reading, writing and mathematics and in writing are below national averages, with large gaps.
• Early years staff do not always check children's understanding closely enough to ensure learning builds consistently.
• Support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND does not consistently help all pupils make the progress of which they are capable.
• Many recent curriculum and teaching improvements are not yet fully embedded.
• Leaders should ensure staff know the precise actions required so all pupils with SEND consistently receive the support needed to maximise progress.
• Leaders should continue to embed actions to enhance the curriculum and teaching so pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills across a range of subjects.

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 Isleham Church of England Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.6% 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 Isleham Church of England 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 Isleham Church of England Primary School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.9% 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, 16.9% of pupils at Isleham Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.5% 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 Isleham Church of England Primary School received £6,522 and spent £6,508 for each of its 201 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £20,000 (£99 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).

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

What is Isleham Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Isleham Church of England Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Isleham Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Isleham Church of England Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Isleham Church of England Primary School have?

Isleham Church of England Primary School has 201 pupils on roll.

What age range does Isleham Church of England Primary School cover?

Isleham Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Isleham Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Isleham Church of England Primary School?

Isleham Church of England Primary School is at Malting Lane, Isleham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5RZ.