Buckden CofE Primary School

Buckden CofE Primary School is a warm, nurturing and inclusive school where pupils are respectful and behave well. Inspectors found a highly ambitious curriculum, a strong focus on reading, effective support for pupils with SEND, improving attendance, a well-constructed personal development programme, and staff who feel well supported. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2015; it is part of the ACT multi-academy trust, and no overall effectiveness grade is awarded under the current framework. The main area for improvement is in a few subjects, where teaching and activities are not consistently focused on the precise knowledge the school intends pupils to learn. As a result, pupils do not learn and remember as much as they could in those subjects. Leaders should ensure staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively across all subjects they teach.

Strengths

• Warm, nurturing and inclusive school culture where pupils are respectful and understand equality.
• Highly ambitious curriculum that covers a broad range of subjects and builds from the early years.
• Reading is a priority, with effective teaching and strong support for pupils who struggle.
• Clear SEND identification and collaborative support enable most pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum.
• Positive behaviour and improved attendance, with responsive changes to playtimes.
• Well-constructed personal development programme covering global issues, sustainability, safety and music.
• Pupils have leadership opportunities that develop confidence and resilience.
• Staff workload is well supported, with varied professional development and expertise shared with local schools.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teaching and activities are not focused precisely enough on the intended knowledge, slowing pupils’ progress.
• Staff in some subjects need further knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively.

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 Buckden CofE Primary School attended 95.5% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Buckden CofE 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 Buckden CofE Primary School had 20.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 22.7% of pupils at Buckden CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.8% 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 2024–25 Buckden CofE Primary School received £6,748 and spent £6,870 for each of its 328 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £397,000 (£1,209 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Act Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,445 and spending £7,474 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 St Neots · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Buckden CofE Primary School is part of Act Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Church of England Primary School St Neots St Neots
• Saint Michael CofE Primary School Peterborough
• Great Wilbraham CofE Primary Academy Cambridge
• Burrough Green CofE Primary Academy Newmarket

What is Buckden CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Buckden CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Buckden CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Buckden CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Buckden CofE Primary School have?

Buckden CofE Primary School has 331 pupils on roll.

What age range does Buckden CofE Primary School cover?

Buckden CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

What are Buckden CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Buckden CofE Primary School?

Buckden CofE Primary School is at School Lane, Buckden, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, PE19 5TT.