Cardwell Primary School

About Cardwell Primary School

Cardwell Primary School sits within the Greenwich local authority, where it ranks 38th out of 62 primary schools of the same type, placing it in the top half of its local peers. The school holds an Outstanding rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, one of only 12 schools in the borough to achieve that top grade. For context, the highest-ranked schools in the area include St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Eltham Church of England Primary School, and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School, all of which sit above Cardwell in the local rankings. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is St Peter's Catholic Primary School, located 1.2 kilometres away. With a capacity of 480 and 437 pupils on roll, Cardwell is operating close to full, and its nursery provision means children can join from age three. The school is significantly oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 academic year, 158 families applied for 60 places, with 70 listing it as their first preference.

Academically, Cardwell's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 67%, slightly below the Greenwich local authority average of 71%. However, the school's individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story: 84% met expectations in writing and 80% in maths, while reading was at 76%. At the higher standard, 31% achieved in both maths and writing, but only 15% in reading and 9% across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 105 in maths and 104 in reading, both above the national baseline of 100. Ofsted's 2024 inspection awarded top marks across the board — Outstanding for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. The previous inspection in 2014 had also rated the school Outstanding overall, so this latest result represents a consistent track record.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, library, ICT suite, art studios, sensory room, and an outdoor playground. Clubs cover drama, choir, science, film, eco, and chess, while sports include athletics, football, cricket, rounders, and dance. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 77 families between September 2024 and September 2025 show strong support in some areas — 73% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy, and 71% would recommend the school. However, there are notable pockets of dissatisfaction: 29% would not recommend, and on questions about bullying and concerns handling, a significant minority disagreed or strongly disagreed. With 41.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Cardwell serves a diverse community and will suit families who value a well-resourced, inclusive primary with strong Ofsted credentials and a clear focus on early years and SEND support.

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