North Cambridge Academy

North Cambridge Academy has demonstrated effective leadership in maintaining the educational standards established during its previous inspection. The school has high ambitions for its students, creating an inclusive and supportive environment that fosters respect and collaboration. Strong partnerships with local businesses enhance students' educational opportunities, enabling them to achieve well and transition successfully to further education or the workforce. The school is described as a welcoming community where a range of extracurricular activities enrich the student experience and promote personal growth.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil behavior and aspirations
• Strong links with local businesses and universities
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs
• Engaging curriculum that prepares pupils for their futures
• Well-developed careers curriculum boosting student confidence
• Effective training ensuring up-to-date staff knowledge

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent adaptation of teaching to meet varying pupil needs

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 North Cambridge Academy attended 89.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.8% 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, 12.3% of pupils at North Cambridge Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 North Cambridge Academy had 15.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.6% 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, 15.7% of pupils at North Cambridge Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.3% 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 North Cambridge Academy received £9,730 and spent £9,610 for each of its 691 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £151,000 (£218 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Meridian Trust, income was £7,921 and spending £7,857 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 Cambridge · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

North Cambridge Academy is part of Meridian Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Histon and Impington Brook Primary School Cambridge
• Histon and Impington Park Primary School Cambridge
• Trumpington Park Primary School Cambridge
• Northstowe Learning Community Cambridge
• The Martin Bacon Academy Northstowe
• Bar Hill Community Primary School Cambridge
• Hatton Park Primary School Cambridge
• Swavesey Village College Cambridge
• The Harbour School Ely
• Somersham Primary School Somersham

What is North Cambridge Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for North Cambridge Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was North Cambridge Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

North Cambridge Academy was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does North Cambridge Academy have?

North Cambridge Academy has 687 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Cambridge Academy cover?

North Cambridge Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are North Cambridge Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.6, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is North Cambridge Academy?

North Cambridge Academy is at Arbury Road, Kings Hedges, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2JF.