Bottisham Community Primary School Review 2026: A village primary with strong core outcomes and a well-built early years offer

This is a medium-sized primary serving Bottisham and nearby villages, with provision from age 3 through to Year 6. A defining strength is the balance between early years readiness and disciplined KS2 basics, with 2024 key stage 2 outcomes placing it above the England picture overall. Nursery and Reception are treated as foundations rather than add-ons, with planned language development and independence routines built in from the start.

Leadership is headed by Mr Mark Askew, with a wider senior team covering Early Years and Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, curriculum and SEND.

The clearest thread running through the school’s public materials is an emphasis on confident habits, self-belief and calm routines, starting young. In the most recent inspection narrative, pupils are described as feeling safe and proud of their school, with behaviour expectations understood and rarely needing escalation. Bullying is framed as uncommon, and pupils are encouraged to speak to adults if concerns arise, including through worry boxes.

Early years is not treated as a holding bay for “proper school later”. Nursery and Reception spaces are described as designed to build independence, with adults skilled at supporting language development. Practical examples in the official account include learning in a woodland area and projects such as hatching butterflies, which points to a curriculum that mixes structured teaching with real-world stimulus.

The school also shows signs of a community-facing mindset. It describes close links with local groups who use school facilities and an active parent association that raises funds for school life.

Leadership is currently led by Mr Mark Askew, and the trust has publicly confirmed his appointment as substantive headteacher after a period as interim.

Outcomes at key stage 2 in 2024 are a clear positive. The combined reading, writing and maths expected standard sits at 73.33%, above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 30.33% achieved the higher threshold in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the England average of 8%.

Scaled scores reinforce the picture of strong core basics. Reading is 108, mathematics is 106, and grammar, punctuation and spelling is 109. Each of these is typically associated with secure understanding and consistent classroom execution, rather than a small number of very high attainers carrying the headline.

One area to read carefully is science. The proportion reaching the expected standard in science is 73%, below the England average of 82%. In practice this can reflect cohort variation, but it is also a useful prompt for families to ask how scientific vocabulary and recall are built year-on-year, particularly in Years 5 and 6.

For parents who like to benchmark performance, the school is ranked 2,551st in England and 28th in Cambridge for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places it above England average, comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

Families comparing several local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these KS2 indicators side-by-side, rather than relying on general impressions.

The most useful detail in the external evidence is not a slogan, but the repeated emphasis on sequencing and recall. The latest inspection narrative describes curriculum planning that builds knowledge and skills in a logical order, and teaching that revisits essential knowledge frequently so pupils remember more over time.

Reading is a prominent operational priority. Early reading is described as structured and daily, with extra and sometimes personalised support for pupils who find phonics difficult, and resources aligned to pupils’ phonics knowledge so practice matches the exact gaps.

Mathematics is also treated as cumulative learning rather than weekly topic coverage. The same source describes curriculum adaptation to address gaps after the COVID-19 period before pupils moved on to more complex ideas. The implication for families is a school that is willing to slow down to secure foundations, which tends to support long-term attainment, particularly for pupils who can appear “fine” until the work becomes abstract.

An identified development point is vocabulary across the wider curriculum. The inspection narrative highlights that, while pupils often understand concepts, teachers are not always consistent in planning opportunities for pupils to practise and deepen key subject vocabulary, which can limit precision when pupils explain learning. For parents, this is a practical question to raise: how do humanities and science build technical language over time, and how is that checked?

In nursery, the school describes using the revised Development Matters guidance to plan across the seven areas of learning, with emphasis on communication, social development and physical development as prime areas. The named early years class, Acorns, is led by Mrs Claydon and Miss Dilley (HLTA).

As a village primary, the typical next step is a local comprehensive secondary, with Year 6 pupils supported to be ready for the move academically and socially. The inspection narrative states that Year 6 pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

There is also evidence of deliberate curriculum alignment work with Bottisham Village College, which suggests it is a common destination for leavers and that transition has been thought through at subject level to avoid repetition and support progression into Year 7.

For pupils with additional needs, the school’s published SEND information describes structured transition work, liaison between staff, and visits where possible so change feels predictable rather than abrupt.

Because secondary destinations vary by address, cohort and parental preference, families should treat “likely next schools” as a conversation rather than an assumption. A sensible approach is to ask how many Year 6 pupils usually move to each main local secondary, and what joint work happens with those schools during the summer term.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Admissions for Reception to Year 6 are managed through Cambridgeshire County Council, rather than directly by the school, with the school’s trust acting as admissions authority.

Demand indicators point to competition without the extreme pressure seen in the tightest city catchments. For the recorded primary entry route, there were 32 applications for 21 offers, which is 1.52 applications per place, and the entry route is marked as oversubscribed. In real terms, that often means some years are straightforward and others are not, depending on sibling links, mobility and local birth rates.

For September 2026 entry in Cambridgeshire, the key countywide dates are clearly set out: applications open from 11 September 2025, the national closing date is 15 January 2026, and the national offer date is 16 April 2026.

Nursery (Acorns) admissions are handled directly through the school rather than the council route. Children can start from the term after they turn 3, and the school uses an expression of interest process to manage the waiting list.

Parents weighing catchment risk should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their exact distance to the school gates and to explore alternative nearby primaries. (Distance cut-offs can shift year to year, so precision matters even when the school feels “local”.)

The published evidence supports a calm, orderly environment where pupils know how to seek help. The most recent inspection narrative describes pupils feeling safe, behaviour expectations being clear, and issues being resolved quickly when pupils raise concerns.

Inclusion is also explicitly referenced. Pupils with SEND are described as being identified quickly and accurately, with staff communicating well with families and external professionals so pupils can access the same ambitious curriculum as peers. The practical implication is that support is framed as enabling access, not narrowing the curriculum prematurely.

The school’s senior team includes a named SEND coordinator, and early years and Key Stage leadership roles are clearly defined, which usually correlates with clearer lines of responsibility for families when concerns arise.

The programme is structured around before and after school slots and, importantly, it is specific rather than generic. In the Spring 2025 club timetable the school lists: Gymnastics (Premier Sports), Dance and Drama (Premier Sports), Choir for Years 3 to 6, Athletics, Wild about Art, and Football, plus Rock Steady sessions during the school day on Thursday mornings.

The value of this kind of menu is not simply “more clubs”. It gives pupils predictable routes to build confidence: a Year 3 pupil can join choir and perform regularly; a sporty pupil can do both athletics and football; a creative pupil has a dedicated arts pathway through Wild about Art and dance. That kind of repetition, week after week, is where real skill and belonging tend to form.

Leadership responsibilities for educational visits sit within the headteacher’s role portfolio, which often signals that trips are treated as part of planned learning rather than occasional treats.

The school publishes clear day timings by phase. Acorns (pre-school) runs 09:00 to 12:00 for morning sessions and 09:00 to 15:00 for all-day sessions. Reception and Year 1 run 09:00 to 15:20, and Year 2 plus Key Stage 2 run 09:00 to 15:25, with classrooms open from 08:50 and registration at 09:00.

Before and after school activities are available, including morning clubs starting at 08:00 and after school clubs running to 16:30 in the Spring 2025 timetable. Families who need daily wraparound childcare beyond club timings should check directly what is currently offered and whether places are limited, as the school’s published pages focus more on clubs than on regular childcare provision.

For travel, this is a village setting, so most families will think in terms of walking, cycling and short car journeys from Bottisham, Lode and Stow-cum-Quy, plus bus links into Cambridge for some households. Parking and drop-off patterns are worth checking during a visit, particularly if you rely on a tight morning commute.

• Science compared with England averages. While the combined reading, writing and maths headline is strong, science expected standard sits below the England average. Ask how scientific vocabulary and knowledge recall are built through KS2, and how practical science is resourced.

• Vocabulary across subjects. External evaluation flags inconsistency in giving pupils enough planned practice to secure key vocabulary across the wider curriculum. This matters for confident writing and explanation in Years 5 and 6, so it is worth asking how this has been addressed since 2022.

• Admissions variability. Demand indicators show oversubscription, but not at an extreme level. That can lead to year-to-year variability, so families should still name realistic preferences and understand how priority is applied in Cambridgeshire’s coordinated process.

• Wraparound practicality. Clubs are clearly published, but families needing consistent childcare beyond club slots should confirm what is currently available, who runs it, and whether places are guaranteed or termly.

Bottisham Community Primary School looks like a well-run village primary with strong KS2 basics, a purposeful reading and phonics approach, and an early years offer that takes language and independence seriously. It should suit families who want a calm, structured primary where outcomes are above the England picture and where pupils can build confidence through defined clubs such as choir, gymnastics and arts. The main question to resolve is practical rather than philosophical: admissions competitiveness varies by year, and wraparound needs should be checked early so daily logistics work for your family.