Meadow Primary School

Meadow Primary School continues to demonstrate good performance and provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel happy, safe, and eager to learn. The school's well-designed curriculum effectively supports students from early years through Year 6, fostering both academic growth and personal development. Students are engaged in their learning, and strong support for pupils with special educational needs ensures that all children can access the curriculum equally. However, there are opportunities for improvement, particularly in expanding extracurricular offerings to further develop pupils' skills and interests.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, polite, and eager to learn.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-designed, building on prior knowledge.
• Strong emphasis on reading and phonics supports literacy development.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Positive relationships and behaviour across the school.
• Pupils show responsibility by engaging in charitable activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Limited extracurricular activities beyond sports.
• Some parents hold negative views about school leadership.

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 Meadow Primary School attended 96.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 3.1% 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 Meadow 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 Meadow Primary School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.3% 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, 19.0% of pupils at Meadow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.5% 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 2024–25 Meadow Primary School received £7,099 and spent £7,233 for each of its 207 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £39,000 (£190 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of Anglian Learning, income was £7,678 and spending £7,759 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

Meadow Primary School is part of Anglian Learning, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Linton Heights Junior School Cambridge
• Linton Village College Cambridge
• The Icknield Primary School Cambridge
• Bottisham Community Primary School Cambridge
• Sawston Village College Cambridge
• Bottisham Village College Cambridge
• Stapleford Community Primary School Cambridge
• The Netherhall School Cambridge
• Marleigh Primary Academy Cambridge
• Fen Ditton Primary School Cambridge

What is Meadow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Meadow Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Meadow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Meadow Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Meadow Primary School have?

Meadow Primary School has 211 pupils on roll.

What age range does Meadow Primary School cover?

Meadow Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Meadow Primary School?

Meadow Primary School is at High Street, Balsham, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB21 4DJ.