Downham Feoffees Primary Academy

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is a small, 149-pupil primary academy in the Meridian Trust. This full Section 5 inspection found the school meets expected standards across all inspected areas, with safeguarding standards met. Pupils are happy and safe, behave well and benefit from an ambitious, broad curriculum. Teaching has improved, particularly in early reading and mathematics, and pupils typically achieve in line with national averages overall. Provision for pupils with SEND is inclusive and highly effective, early years is strong, and personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders, trustees and staff work well together, staff morale is high, and the school is a valued part of its community. The main areas for further work concern consistency. Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and those with other barriers are more variable, and published data shows gaps, especially in reading and combined reading, writing and mathematics. Feedback is not always precise enough to help pupils improve their work, and monitoring of some pupil premium enrichment is less rigorous than for SEND. Some groups still need consistently high attendance, and leaders should ensure strong outcomes for all groups by the end of key stage 2 and widen participation in enrichment. The school has below-average free school meals and EHC plan rates but above-average SEN support, and an executive headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
• Reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, giving pupils strong foundations in oracy, literacy and numeracy.
• Pupils typically achieve in line with national averages and are well prepared for their next stages of education.
• Pupils behave well, interruptions to learning are rare, and pupils are polite and respectful.
• Pupils feel safe and happy, and most groups attend very well.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad and well sequenced, with frequent opportunities to revisit prior learning.
• Teaching has improved across the curriculum, including in early reading and mathematics.
• Early years provision is effectively led and children typically achieve a good level of development.
• SEND provision is inclusive and now highly effective, with precise targets and effective classroom adaptations.
• Personal development is comprehensive and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Staff are highly positive about working at the school and benefit from trust-wide collaboration and effective training.
• Leaders and trustees have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development.
• The school is an important part of the local community, and parents and carers are highly positive.

Areas for Improvement

• Recent published data shows reading attainment below national averages, with disadvantaged pupils' gaps wider still.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and those with other barriers remain variable, including in combined reading, writing and mathematics.
• Feedback to pupils is not consistently precise enough to help them improve the quality of their work.
• Monitoring of some pupil premium provision, including enrichment, is less rigorous than for SEND, and participation of all groups is not yet consistently high.
• Some groups of pupils do not yet have consistently high rates of attendance.
• Leaders need to ensure consistently strong outcomes for all groups of pupils by the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils' knowledge of some religions is mixed.
• Some pupils have gaps in knowledge because of historic inconsistent expectations and teaching, although these are being addressed.

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 Downham Feoffees Primary Academy attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Downham Feoffees Primary Academy 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 Downham Feoffees Primary Academy had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.5% 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, 25.3% of pupils at Downham Feoffees Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Downham Feoffees Primary Academy received £6,630 and spent £6,648 for each of its 149 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £190,000 (£1,276 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 Ely · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is part of Meridian Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

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

What is Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Downham Feoffees Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Downham Feoffees Primary Academy have?

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy has 150 pupils on roll.

What age range does Downham Feoffees Primary Academy cover?

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Downham Feoffees Primary Academy?

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is at Main Street, Little Downham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2ST.