Cambourne Village College Review 2026: A fast-growing, values-led 11 to 18 academy built for a new community

A school designed around a new town has one clear advantage, space to grow. Cambourne Village College opened in September 2013 and has expanded rapidly alongside local housing, adding major new buildings and, from September 2024, an on-site sixth form centre.

Leadership is recent and clearly defined. Mrs Lynn Mayes has been Principal since 01 September 2023, with the school part of The CAM Academy Trust.

The latest Ofsted inspection (11 and 12 March 2025) graded Outstanding across all key judgement areas, including sixth form provision.

The school’s identity is closely tied to how quickly Cambourne itself has evolved. That context matters because it explains the scale of ambition. The college has had to be organised, consistent, and future-facing, simply to keep pace with a growing roll and changing cohort. Official evaluation describes a culture where difference is celebrated, pupils support one another, and students feel confident expressing who they are.

A values-driven tone comes through most strongly in how student voice is structured. There are formal leadership groups and ambassadors, with diversity work explicitly named through the student-led “not just black or white” committee. The practical implication for families is that inclusion is not treated as a once-a-year theme. It is positioned as something students actively shape, which often correlates with calmer corridors, fewer low-level issues, and more confident participation in class.

The school’s relationship with aspiration is also worth understanding. It frames ambition as being about destinations and character, with students encouraged to take responsibility and engage beyond lessons. The best evidence sits in how the sixth form has been set up. Even in its first year, the post-16 provision is described as intentionally connected to earlier stages, with students helping leaders create a sixth form “home” that still feels part of the wider school.

Cambourne Village College’s GCSE picture is best read as solidly above-average progress with mid-range attainment, in a context where the school has expanded quickly and serves a broad intake.

Ranked 1,553rd in England and 23rd in the Cambridge area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On core headline measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 49.5, and its Progress 8 score is +0.3, indicating students make above-average progress from their starting points.

EBacc measures are more nuanced. The school’s average EBacc APS is 4.42, and 16.9% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across EBacc subjects. This is not, by itself, a verdict on academic ambition, because EBacc outcomes depend heavily on entry patterns and option pathways. The practical takeaway is to look carefully at Key Stage 4 options and how languages and humanities are encouraged or prioritised for your child’s profile.

A final, important point for 2026 readers is that the school now has a sixth form on site. That changes the academic narrative. Families weighing post-16 choices can assess continuity, subject breadth, and study culture without leaving the campus, rather than treating Year 11 as a hard exit point.

If you are comparing outcomes locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub page and Comparison Tool can help you view GCSE results alongside nearby secondaries, using consistent measures.

The headline teaching feature is its structured consistency across subjects, paired with strong use of technology. The school operates a one-to-one iPad model, with the stated aim of giving students access to learning resources in school and at home, supporting independence, and enabling work creation and sharing.

That matters in everyday practice because it changes how homework, feedback, and retrieval work. When a one-to-one device approach is well embedded, it typically reduces friction for students who need to catch up after absence, revisit explanations, or organise deadlines across subjects. The corollary is that families should take interest in how the school manages screen use, focus, and study habits, particularly for students who are easily distracted. Cambourne’s public materials position the approach as a learning tool rather than a novelty, which is the right starting point.

The most reliable description of classroom experience is that staff know students well, support is precise, and subject expertise is strong. Reading is treated as foundational, with students who are not fluent identified quickly and supported so they can access texts and online resources confidently.

At subject level, the website gives glimpses of enrichment that supports literacy and cultural engagement. English highlights Creative Writing Club, Reading Club (including engagement with the Carnegie shortlist), and author visits, which tells parents that reading is positioned as an active habit rather than a passive skill.

Where Students Go Next

For Years 7 to 11, the school sits in an area with a wide range of post-16 choices across Cambridgeshire and Cambridge, and it has historically supported students applying through local post-16 systems. The opening of an on-site sixth form from September 2024 changes the decision architecture for many families, because continuity becomes a realistic option without a change of environment.

Cambourne Sixth Form is explicitly designed for 16 to 19 year olds “from the local community and beyond”, offering A Levels and applied vocational routes. Entry expectations are clearly stated. For A Levels, the published baseline is five Grade 5s at GCSE, with Grade 4 or above in English and Maths, plus subject-specific requirements in many areas. For applied courses, the baseline is five Grade 4s including English and Maths.

The implication is that the sixth form is aiming for a broadly academic intake while still keeping a route open for students whose strengths suit applied programmes. That blend is often attractive in mixed-ability communities because it avoids a single definition of success. What families should ask is how the sixth form structures independent study, what supervised study expectations look like, and how vocational learners are supported to secure strong placements or apprenticeships, because “applied” routes succeed when pastoral, attendance, and employer engagement are tightly managed.

Careers education is framed as a planned programme that includes employer and higher education talks, mentoring, mock interviews, assessment centre preparation, and support for applications.

Year 7 entry is coordinated by Cambridgeshire Local Authority, rather than direct admissions to the school. The school publishes a defined catchment approach linked to its Cambourne feeder primaries: Monkfield Park, The Vine Inter Church, Jeavons Wood, and Cambourne and Hardwick Primary School.

For September 2026 entry, the school states the secondary application deadline as 31 October 2025, aligning with the local authority timeline. If you are applying for a later year, the practical rule is to expect the deadline to fall at the end of October in the year before entry, and to treat it as non-negotiable.

The school also signals that visits and tours are part of the decision process, but are not interviews and do not affect admissions decisions. For the 2026 intake cycle, tours were published across late September and October, with an open evening in October, reflecting a standard autumn pattern.

For sixth form entry, the process is distinct from Year 7. Applications are handled through the sixth form’s admissions process, with a published main deadline in mid-January for the 2026 cycle. For families planning ahead, that means you need to think about two timelines, end of October for Year 7, mid-January for Year 12.

When catchment and oversubscription are key concerns, parents should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check location and likely travel time, then cross-reference with the published admissions arrangements.

The school’s pastoral story is anchored in three practical elements: clear behavioural expectations, structured student leadership, and an emphasis on wellbeing and safety. Students are described as polite, respectful, punctual to lessons, and invested in the behaviour systems themselves, which is often a hallmark of consistent adult follow-through combined with credible student ownership.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as well-targeted, with tasks adapted so students can produce high-quality work. For families, the key implication is that SEND support is positioned as part of normal classroom practice rather than something that only happens in withdrawal sessions. That tends to suit students who want to feel included and avoid being singled out.

A second, high-value pastoral indicator is workload and staff wellbeing being actively managed, because staff stability generally improves consistency for students. The school also signposts mental wellbeing support routes for young people through its public communications.

The inspection also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

The extracurricular offer is broadest when you look at it through two lenses, subject-linked enrichment and timetable-based clubs.

On the subject-linked side, English explicitly promotes Creative Writing Club, Reading Club, and author visits, which strengthens literacy and cultural capital for students who thrive on discussion and independent reading. History describes enrichment opportunities such as lunchtime reading and engagement beyond lessons, reinforcing that humanities students can deepen interest outside the classroom. Science and STEM are also positioned as active, with reference to STEM Club and Eco Club in published materials, alongside planned science-based activity weeks.

On the clubs timetable side, the school publishes a regular enrichment schedule (lunchtime and after school). Examples include First Aid, a history-focused Clio group for Key Stage 5, and themed activities such as Myths and quiz-style sessions. The value of a published timetable is that it sets expectations for participation. It also makes it easier for parents to encourage commitment, which matters because extracurricular habits often dip as students move up the school.

Facilities strengthen the offer. The school took possession of six new buildings in 2024, including expanded music and drama studios with practice rooms, extended art spaces, a significantly enlarged library with English classrooms, additional science laboratories, food technology rooms, and a new dining hall, plus the sixth form centre. The implication is straightforward, more specialist space generally means more specialist teaching, more performance and rehearsal capacity, and fewer compromises on option blocks as numbers rise.

The school day is precisely structured, with registration at 08:35 and lessons beginning at 09:00. Day end varies by year group, with Year 7 and 8 finishing at 14:55, and Year 9 to 11 finishing at 15:00.

Transport is a realistic consideration in a semi-rural growth area. The school references Stagecoach Bus No. 4 between Cambourne and Cambridge, with the nearest stop described as a short walk from the site. For cyclists, the day structure includes timed gate closures, signalling that bike travel is expected and managed.

As a state-funded school, there are no tuition fees. Families should still budget for uniform and the usual extras such as trips and optional activities.

• A school expanding alongside its town. Growth brings opportunity, especially with new buildings and an on-site sixth form, but it can also mean larger cohorts and busy communal spaces as intake rises.

• Digital learning expectations. A one-to-one iPad approach suits organised, independent learners, but students who struggle with distraction may need firm routines at home around device use and homework.

• Post-16 choices now sit on your doorstep. The new sixth form is an advantage for continuity, but it also adds a decision point: stay for a familiar setting, or choose a larger sixth form college with different culture and scale.

• Catchment awareness matters. The school identifies specific Cambourne feeder primaries within its catchment framing. Families outside that pattern should read the admissions arrangements early and plan visits in the autumn cycle.

Cambourne Village College is a modern, fast-growing 11 to 18 academy that has invested heavily in facilities and now offers a full through-school journey, including an on-site sixth form. GCSE outcomes point to secure progress and a stable academic platform, while external evaluation highlights a strongly inclusive culture and consistent expectations.

Best suited to families who want a large, well-resourced state secondary with clear routines, strong personal development structures, and the option of staying on-site for sixth form, provided students are ready to engage with digital learning and make use of enrichment as they move through the years.