Upwood Primary Academy

Upwood Primary Academy has demonstrated a good overall effectiveness in its first inspection since converting to an academy. The school fosters an environment characterized by respect, politeness, and positive relationships between pupils and adults. With well-structured lessons that build upon prior knowledge, students, including those with special educational needs, are able to thrive academically. The strong focus on reading ensures that most pupils develop early reading skills quickly, contributing positively to their learning experience. Furthermore, a strong community ethos is evident, with supportive relationships among staff, pupils, and parents. However, some challenges remain in ensuring consistent implementation of the new behaviour policy and developing subject-specific teacher knowledge in certain areas of the curriculum.

Strengths

• Well-organized curriculum that builds on prior knowledge.
• Strong emphasis on reading with effective phonics teaching.
• Positive and respectful relationships among pupils and staff.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of cultural differences.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent subject knowledge among some teachers.
• Underdeveloped systems to monitor learning in a few subjects.
• New behaviour policy not yet fully embedded among staff.

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 Upwood Primary Academy attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Upwood 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 Upwood Primary Academy had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.6% 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, 10.9% of pupils at Upwood Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.9% 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 Upwood Primary Academy received £6,678 and spent £7,127 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £122,000 (£610 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Thomas Deacon Education Trust, income was £8,207 and spending £8,153 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 Huntingdon · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

Upwood Primary Academy is part of Thomas Deacon Education Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Warboys Primary Academy Huntingdon
• Thomas Deacon Academy Peterborough
• Gladstone Primary Academy Peterborough
• Queen Katharine Academy Peterborough
• Welbourne Primary Academy Peterborough

What is Upwood Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Upwood Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was Upwood Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Upwood Primary Academy was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does Upwood Primary Academy have?

Upwood Primary Academy has 202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Upwood Primary Academy cover?

Upwood Primary Academy for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Upwood Primary Academy?

Upwood Primary Academy is at Ramsey Road, Upwood, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE26 2QA.