St Helen's Primary School
St Helen's Primary School is a foundation school in Huntingdon for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has 186 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Helen's Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022. In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: July 2022. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Foundation school |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Address | Colne Road Bluntisham Huntingdon Cambridgeshire PE28 3NY |
| Phone | 01487841468 |
| Reference Number | 110888 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 186 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 47.85%
Girls: 52.15% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 11.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 1.6% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 26.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 26.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 26.5 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
| 2 | 12 | 11 | 23 |
| 3 | 15 | 16 | 31 |
| 4 | 12 | 13 | 25 |
| 5 | 10 | 13 | 23 |
| 6 | 16 | 11 | 27 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 90.9% |
| Unclassified | 3.2% |
| White, Other | 2.2% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.2% |
| White & Asian | 1.1% |
| Asian, Other | 0.5% |
St Helen’s Primary School is performing well, having achieved a 'Good' rating across all inspected areas during its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has shown significant improvements since its previous inspection, where it was deemed to require improvement. Pupils are happy and feel safe, exhibiting positive behavior and enthusiasm for learning. The robust curriculum is effectively delivered, particularly in early reading and mathematics, ensuring pupils are well-prepared for their next stages of education.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| > Quality of education | Good |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| Last Report Date | 08 Jun 2022 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 08 Jun 2022 | School inspection: |
| 05 Jun 2018 | Full inspection: |
| 11 Feb 2015 | Full inspection: |
| 30 Apr 2013 | Monitoring visit |
| 21 Feb 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 22 May 2012 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 29 Mar 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 19 May 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 08 Dec 2003 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils are happy and feel safe in a welcoming environment.
- Teachers effectively deliver the school's chosen reading programme.
- Leaders have established a broad and ambitious curriculum.
- Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm and pride in their work.
- Support for pupils with SEND is timely and well-managed.
- A wide range of extra-curricular activities enriches pupils' experiences.
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum plans, staff training, and monitoring in a few subjects are less well developed.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 55% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 3% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 104 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 101 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -2.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | -2.4 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | -4.8 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how St Helen's Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 14 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 5 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Helen's Primary School had 188 pupils for 240 places. 52 places (21.7%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Ramsey Rural 1 Primary” planning area
Cambridgeshire counted 150 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 126 in 2029–30, down 16%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 330 | 322 | 322 | 270 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 330 | 270 | 240 | 240 | 240 |
| Pupils | 238 | 222 | 212 | 200 | 187 | 191 | 196 | 183 | 160 | 158 | 172 | 176 | 186 | 187 | 188 |
| Unfilled | 27.9% | 31.1% | 34.2% | 25.9% | 43.3% | 42.1% | 40.6% | 44.5% | 51.5% | 52.1% | 47.9% | 34.8% | 22.5% | 22.1% | 21.7% |
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 St Helen's Primary School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 2.4% | 3.0% | 5.6% | 3.5% | 3.2% | 2.5% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.6% | 2.3% | 0.0% |
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 St Helen's Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 St Helen's Primary School had 22.7 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
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 14.9 | 10.1 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 12.8 | 13.7 | 14.0 | 13.9 | 12.2 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 12.1 | 11.9 | 13.5 | 13.0 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 59.5% | 9.1% | 15.7% | 0.0% | 20.7% | 5.1% | 11.0% | 39.0% | 11.4% | 0.0% | 7.2% | 9.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 7.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 57.1% | 53.8% | 60.0% | 36.4% | 37.5% | 60.0% | 55.6% | 38.9% | 30.8% | – | 30.8% | 37.5% | 60.0% | 53.3% | 57.1% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 5.9 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 14.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 0.7 | – | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 | – |
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, 16.1% of pupils at St Helen's 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
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Social, emotional and mental health | 12 | 0 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 5 | 1 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 4 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 4 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 2 | 0 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 2 | 0 |
| Hearing impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 St Helen's Primary School received £6,149 and spent £6,329 for each of its 186 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £94,000 (-£506 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £28,000 | £37,000 | £71,000 | £38,000 | £11,000 | -£26,000 | -£61,000 | -£94,000 |
| per pupil | £174 | £229 | £418 | £212 | £58 | -£137 | -£322 | -£506 |
| In-year balance | £22,000 | £8,000 | £34,000 | -£32,000 | -£28,000 | -£36,000 | -£35,000 | -£34,000 |
| per pupil | £133 | £53 | £201 | -£180 | -£151 | -£193 | -£185 | -£180 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Earith Primary School
School Road, Earith, Huntingdon, PE28 3QB |
0.95 miles |
|
Whitehall School
117 High Street, Huntingdon, PE28 3EH |
1.84 miles |
|
Somersham Primary School
Parkhall Road, Somersham, PE28 3EU |
1.98 miles |
|
Holywell CofE Primary School
Mill Way, Needingworth, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 4TF |
2.85 miles |
|
Over Primary School
Long Furlong, Over, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 5PG |
3.06 miles |
|
Willingham Primary School
Thodays Close, Willingham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 5LE |
3.81 miles |
|
Wheatfields Primary School
Nene Way, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 3WF |
3.86 miles |
|
Eastfield Infant and Nursery School
Pig Lane, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5QT |
4.05 miles |
|
Westfield Junior School
Ramsey Road, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 5RG |
4.12 miles |
|
Swavesey Primary School
Middle Watch, Swavesey, Middle Watch, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4RN |
4.29 miles |
|
Thorndown Primary School
Hill Rise, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 6SE |
4.45 miles |
|
Fen Drayton Primary School
Cootes Lane, Fen Drayton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4SL |
4.72 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Swavesey Village College
Gibraltar Lane, Swavesey, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 4RS |
4.43 miles |
|
St Ivo Academy
High Leys, St Ives, Cambridgeshire, PE27 6RR |
4.48 miles |
|
Aurora Fairway School
High Leys, St Ives, PE27 6AL |
4.57 miles |
All schools in Huntingdon · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications
What is St Helen's Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Helen's Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.
When was St Helen's Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St Helen's Primary School was last inspected in July 2022.
How many pupils does St Helen's Primary School have?
St Helen's Primary School has 186 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Helen's Primary School cover?
St Helen's Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are St Helen's Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 55% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Helen's Primary School?
St Helen's Primary School is at Colne Road, Bluntisham, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3NY.