St Luke's CofE Primary School, Cambridge Review 2026: Small Church school, standout Key Stage 2 outcomes

A small primary with a clear Church of England identity and a curriculum that has been reshaped in recent years. The latest Ofsted inspection (March 2023) rated the school Requires Improvement overall, with Good for Behaviour and Attitudes and Good for Personal Development.

What many parents notice first, however, is the scale. With a published capacity of 105 pupils, this is a compact setting where mixed-age classes feature in daily life. Those structural choices can suit children who gain confidence from familiar faces and older role models, and they also place a premium on clear curriculum sequencing so that learning builds in the right order.

On performance, the most recent published Key Stage 2 picture is unusually strong. In 2024, 90.7% reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the England average of 62%. At higher standard, 28.7% achieved the higher threshold compared with 8% across England.

Leadership is current. The headteacher is Mrs Sarah Barnes, shown as appointed June 2025 on governance information.

The school’s Church of England character is explicit and thoughtfully framed. Its ethos statement positions the school as serving families of all faiths and none, with daily collective worship that invites participation without pressure, and with families retaining the right to withdraw children from worship.

A distinctive feature is the way spirituality is made concrete for pupils. The school uses a sunflower as a symbol to explain aspects of the Holy Trinity, and it builds shared routines around worship and prayer at points in the day. For some families, that clarity is reassuring. For others, it is something to understand carefully before applying, particularly if you prefer a more secular daily rhythm.

The most recent Anglican school inspection (SIAMS, dated 04 October 2024) describes a strong link between the stated Christian vision and daily practice, including inclusive worship, effective religious education, and a sense of belonging for pupils, including those who join mid-year.

The headline in the most recent published results set is breadth and consistency, rather than a single standout subject.

Key Stage 2 (2024)

• Reading, writing and maths expected standard: 90.7%, compared with 62% across England.

• Higher standard (greater depth) in reading, writing and maths: 28.7%, compared with 8% across England.

• Science expected standard: 95%, compared with 82% across England.

• Scaled scores: Reading 110, Maths 110, GPS 112.

In FindMySchool’s proprietary rankings (based on official data), the school is ranked 279th in England and 1st in Cambridge for primary outcomes, placing it among the highest-performing in England (top 2%).

These outcomes sit alongside an Ofsted curriculum narrative that is more mixed. The inspection highlights that curriculum design and sequencing are not yet consistently secure across all subjects, particularly given the complexity of mixed-age classes, and that early reading delivery needs to be consistent so books match pupils’ phonics stage more reliably.

The implication for parents is nuanced: results suggest many pupils do very well by the end of Year 6, while the school is still working to make the learning journey more consistently structured across year groups and subjects.

If you are comparing schools locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be useful for viewing these results alongside nearby primaries, especially if you are balancing faith ethos, scale, and academic outcomes.

The curriculum overview sets out a broad offer across subjects, with teaching designed around topics and themes that draw different areas of learning together. Outdoor learning is referenced as part of that approach, alongside a stated focus on social and emotional wellbeing.

Mixed-age classes are an important context point. When this works well, younger pupils gain vocabulary, routines, and confidence from older peers; older pupils consolidate knowledge through explaining and modelling. The challenge, reflected in external evaluation, is ensuring progression is granular enough so that pupils in different year groups build knowledge in the right sequence, without gaps or repetition.

Early reading is described in the Ofsted report as operating through a newer phonics scheme, with the clear message that staff training and consistency matter, particularly for pupils who need the most support.

For families planning beyond Year 6, St Luke’s is described on the school’s admissions information as a named feeder school for Chesterton Community College. That does not remove the need to understand secondary admissions rules, but it is a helpful indicator when you are thinking about continuity and peer group transition.

Within Cambridge, families often consider a mix of comprehensive and selective pathways. What matters most is aligning your primary choice with your likely secondary plan early, because admissions criteria and travel practicality can shape what is realistic later.

Reception and in-year admissions are coordinated through the local authority, with the school participating in the usual coordinated process.

Reception places and demand

• The school’s published admission number (Reception entry) is 15.

• In the provided demand data for Reception entry, there were 15 applications for 7 offers, with an oversubscription status recorded as Oversubscribed.

Small numbers can fluctuate year to year, but the underlying message is that demand can exceed places.

Key dates for September 2026 entry (Cambridgeshire residents)

• Applications open from 11 September 2025.

• Closing date is 15 January 2026.

• National offer date is 16 April 2026.

• Late applications submitted by 2 May 2026 are referenced by the council as receiving letters on 22 May 2026.

Faith consideration

The admissions policy includes a route for families applying for a church place, with priority categories that refer to parish and church links, and a supplementary information form for applications on religious grounds.

If you are weighing how realistic a place is from your home, FindMySchoolMap Search is a practical way to sanity-check distance and catchment positioning before you commit emotionally to a single option.

Behaviour is described as calm and purposeful in external evaluation, with routines that help pupils focus and settle into learning. Bullying is described as rare, with adults resolving issues when they occur.

Pastoral support also shows up through the school’s faith framework: daily worship, prayer points in the day, and explicit values language. For some children, especially those who benefit from predictable routines and emotionally literate vocabulary, that can be grounding.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is referenced through curriculum intent and staff practice, with an emphasis on adapting learning so pupils can access the planned curriculum.

Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, with vigilant staff reporting concerns promptly and leaders acting in a timely way.

With a small roll, enrichment matters because it broadens the pupil experience beyond a single class group. The calendar points to opportunities such as the Young Voices Concert (listed in January 2026).

The most recent Anglican inspection also provides unusually concrete examples of enrichment, including choral singing at King’s College, local cultural learning, and a trip to the Royal Opera House, plus practical experiences like apple picking in the school’s orchard. Those examples suggest a deliberate effort to widen horizons and give pupils memorable shared projects, which can be particularly valuable in a small school where whole-school identity matters.

On the everyday practical side, after-school provision is offered Monday to Thursday from 3:20pm to 5:15pm, open across ages, with activities described as ranging from craft to sport-focused sessions.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

Wraparound care is clearly set out for after school, running Monday to Thursday until 5:15pm. The published information does not clearly set out a breakfast club offer or full school-day timings in the same place, so it is worth confirming start and finish routines directly before committing to logistics.

School meals are catered on site, and the current published cost is £2.93 per meal, with Universal Infant Free School Meals applying in Reception to Year 2.

For transport planning, the school sits in Chesterton, Cambridge, and families typically weigh walkability and cycling routes alongside public transport options. For a small school, pick-up practicality can be a make-or-break factor.

• Inspection judgement and improvement focus. The overall judgement is Requires Improvement (March 2023), with priorities including tighter curriculum sequencing across subjects and more consistent early reading delivery, especially around matching books to phonics stage.

• Small scale and mixed-age structure. A small roll can feel close-knit, but it also means fewer parallel classes and less flexibility if your child strongly prefers a large peer group. Mixed-age teaching can work very well, but it demands careful progression planning, which is explicitly an area of focus.

• Faith is central. Daily collective worship and prayer rhythms are part of normal life, with an inclusive approach, but still a clearly Christian frame. Families wanting a largely secular school day should weigh this carefully.

• Entry can be competitive. The Reception admission number is 15, and recent demand data indicates oversubscription. Apply on time and include realistic alternatives on your local authority form.

A small Church of England primary with a strong sense of purpose, clear values language, and an enrichment story that includes ambitious cultural experiences. Academic outcomes in the most recent published data are strikingly strong, and the school sits in the top tier in England on the FindMySchool ranking set.

Best suited to families who value a faith-led daily rhythm, like the idea of a smaller setting, and want high Key Stage 2 outcomes, while being comfortable with a school that is still sharpening curriculum consistency following a Requires Improvement inspection.