Manor Drive Primary Academy

Manor Drive Primary Academy is a new, inclusive primary school that inspectors found to be performing well. Pupils are happy, safe and behave kindly, and the school provides a broad, stimulating curriculum with high expectations. The early years provision is a particular strength: children get off to a flying start and are exceptionally well prepared for Year 1. Reading is prioritised effectively, pupils with SEND are well supported, and personal development helps pupils become responsible citizens. Safeguarding is effective, and leaders, governors and trustees are ambitious for the school's role in the community. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum precision and assessment. In a small number of subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the most important knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to learn and revisit, which can limit how deeply pupils understand key concepts. In addition, checks on learning do not always pick up gaps or misconceptions before pupils move on, making it harder for some pupils to build securely on prior learning. This was the school's first section 5 inspection, and no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, feel safe and are kind and respectful to each other.
• The school is warm, welcoming and strongly inclusive.
• The curriculum is broad, stimulating and engaging, with high expectations for pupils.
• Early years provision is exceptionally strong, preparing children very well for Year 1.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength, with accurate identification and personalised support.
• Reading is prioritised well, with effective phonics and support for pupils with gaps.
• Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to recall and practise prior learning.
• Pupils develop personal qualities such as resilience, perseverance and responsibility.
• Pupils contribute to school and community life through the school council, fundraising and an environmental club.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Leaders, governors and trustees are ambitious for the school and engage well with parents.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the most important subject-specific knowledge and vocabulary are not clearly identified, limiting pupils' ability to make connections and deepen understanding.
• Checks on pupils' learning do not always identify insecure prior knowledge or misconceptions before new content is introduced, so some gaps go unnoticed.

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 Manor Drive Primary Academy attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Manor Drive 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 Manor Drive Primary Academy had 21.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Manor Drive Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.9% 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 Manor Drive Primary Academy received £8,703 and spent £6,960 for each of its 193 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £354,000 (£1,841 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Four Cs Mat, income was £7,701 and spending £7,827 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 Peterborough · Peterborough local authority: places and applications

Manor Drive Primary Academy is part of Four Cs Mat, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Manor Drive Secondary Academy Peterborough
• Fulbridge Academy Peterborough
• Discovery Primary Academy Peterborough
• Ken Stimpson Academy Peterborough
• Arthur Mellows Village College Peterborough
• Hampton Vale Primary Academy Peterborough

What is Manor Drive Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Manor Drive Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Manor Drive Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Manor Drive Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Manor Drive Primary Academy have?

Manor Drive Primary Academy has 319 pupils on roll.

What age range does Manor Drive Primary Academy cover?

Manor Drive Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

Where is Manor Drive Primary Academy?

Manor Drive Primary Academy is at Porter Avenue, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE4 7EP.