Murrow Primary Academy

Murrow Primary Academy is a small, welcoming community school that is performing to the expected standard across all key areas inspected, with safeguarding standards met. Inspectors found that pupils are polite, kind and behave well, feel safe, and benefit from a curriculum that has been substantially overhauled after a dip in achievement. Published outcomes are below national averages in some measures, but the report notes these are affected by very small cohorts and do not fully reflect pupils' actual progress from their varying starting points. The school's strengths include a well-sequenced curriculum, effective phonics and early reading, strong early years provision, and effective inclusion support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils. Leadership has stabilised the school during a period of staffing turbulence, working closely with the trust and two partner primary schools. Personal development is a notable strength, with PSHE, assemblies, trips, clubs and leadership roles helping pupils build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging. Areas for improvement remain. Assessment is not always used consistently well to identify gaps and provide precise guidance, middle leadership capacity and training need to be developed to evaluate curriculum changes, and attendance strategies need further embedding, although attendance and persistent absence are improving. Overall, the school is well placed to continue improving, but there is still work to do.

Strengths

• Pupils are polite, kind and behave well, with rare serious incidents handled effectively.
• A well-designed and sequenced curriculum is in place across all subjects after a recent overhaul.
• Effective phonics and early reading provision helps children secure important reading knowledge.
• Strong early years provision with positive relationships, well-planned learning and good language development.
• Inclusion is effective, with strong support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and children in care.
• Leaders have stabilised the school during staffing turbulence and drawn effectively on trust and partner-school support.
• The personal development programme builds resilience, confidence and belonging through PSHE, assemblies, trips, clubs and leadership roles.
• Pupils are well prepared for secondary school and have positive attitudes to learning.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and effective support for pupils.
• Staff appreciate support for workload and wellbeing, and high-quality training supports curriculum implementation.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment checks are not always used consistently well, so pupils do not always receive precise guidance.
• Middle leaders need greater capacity and training to evaluate and refine curriculum and leadership areas.
• Attendance strategies need further embedding, with attendance still not fully back to previous levels.
• Published outcomes are below national averages in some measures, including combined reading, writing and mathematics and writing, though small cohorts affect the picture.
• Disadvantaged pupils' performance shows substantial gaps compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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 Murrow Primary Academy attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% 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, 0.9% of pupils at Murrow 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 Murrow Primary Academy had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 34.5% 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, 18.4% of pupils at Murrow Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Murrow Primary Academy received £7,502 and spent £7,942 for each of its 106 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £36,000 (£335 per pupil).

Across all 15 schools of The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust, income was £7,117 and spending £7,316 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 Wisbech · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Murrow Primary Academy is part of The Diamond Learning Partnership Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• Gorefield Primary Academy Wisbech
• Leverington Primary Academy Wisbech
• Burrowmoor Primary Academy March
• Thomas Eaton Primary Academy March
• Glebelands Primary Academy Chatteris
• Braybrook Primary Academy Peterborough
• Kimbolton Primary Academy Huntingdon
• Great Staughton Primary Academy St Neots
• Wintringham Primary Academy St. Neots
• The Round House Primary Academy St Neots

What is Murrow Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Murrow Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Murrow Primary Academy was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Murrow Primary Academy have?

Murrow Primary Academy has 103 pupils on roll.

What age range does Murrow Primary Academy cover?

Murrow Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Murrow Primary Academy?

Murrow Primary Academy is at 73 Murrow Bank, Murrow, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE13 4HD.