Hinchingbrooke School

In its May 2026 full inspection, Hinchingbrooke School was found to be performing strongly across all areas. This large secondary school, part of The Cam Academy Trust, has a warm and inclusive culture where pupils feel a strong sense of belonging and achieve well. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school is well led and governed. Pupils' attainment at GCSE and A level is above national averages, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND also achieve well, with the attainment gap narrowing. Attendance is high and behaviour is respectful, with bullying rare. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, inclusion is a notable strength, and personal development and post-16 provision are strong. Leadership and governance are highly effective, with rigorous challenge and support. The report's only next step is for leaders to continue improving curriculum implementation to achieve exceptional standards of teaching, particularly for pupils with SEND. There are no significant concerns; the school is well placed to build on its considerable strengths.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve consistently well, with GCSE and A-level attainment above national averages.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND achieve well, and the attainment gap is narrowing.
• Attendance is high, with absence and persistent absence below national averages.
• Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and disruptive behaviour is uncommon.
• Bullying is rare and dealt with quickly and effectively when it occurs.
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and taught by subject specialists.
• Inclusion is a notable strength, with swift SEND identification and bespoke support.
• Leaders use additional funding highly effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership and governance are highly effective, with rigorous challenge and support.
• The personal development programme is ambitious and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• A wide range of enrichment and leadership opportunities are available and monitored for equal access.
• Careers advice is high-quality and impartial, preparing pupils well for their next steps.
• Post-16 provision is strong, with a wide range of subjects and stable achievement.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively managed.
• The school is a warm, welcoming community where pupils feel known, supported and valued.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation has not yet reached exceptional standards for all pupils, particularly those with SEND.

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 Hinchingbrooke School attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 16.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 3.2% of pupils at Hinchingbrooke School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Hinchingbrooke School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 12.7% of pupils at Hinchingbrooke School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Hinchingbrooke School received £8,665 and spent £8,949 for each of its 2,110 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £515,000 (£244 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of The Cam Academy Trust, income was £8,882 and spending £9,053 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Hinchingbrooke School is part of The Cam Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Cromwell Academy Huntingdon
• St Peter's School Huntingdon
• Godmanchester Community Academy Huntingdon
• Hartford Junior School Huntingdon
• Hartford Infant and Preschool Huntingdon
• Thongsley Fields Primary and Nursery School Huntingdon
• Godmanchester Bridge Academy Godmanchester
• Offord Primary School St Neots
• Spaldwick Primary School Huntingdon
• Cambourne Village College Cambridge

What is Hinchingbrooke School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hinchingbrooke School is Strong standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Hinchingbrooke School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hinchingbrooke School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Hinchingbrooke School have?

Hinchingbrooke School has 2,173 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hinchingbrooke School cover?

Hinchingbrooke School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Hinchingbrooke School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 49.0, and 49% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Hinchingbrooke School?

Hinchingbrooke School is at Brampton Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 3BN.