Cherry Lane Primary School

About Cherry Lane Primary School

Cherry Lane Primary School in Hillingdon is a mixed, non-religious state primary for ages 3 to 11, currently home to 640 pupils against a capacity of 690. That leaves some headroom, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 186 applications for 68 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.74 to one. Of those, 64 families put it as their first preference, and all 64 received offers — meaning the school filled almost all its places from first-choice applicants alone. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 35.2%, well above the national average for primary schools, which typically sits around 23-24%. This suggests Cherry Lane serves a community with higher-than-average levels of economic disadvantage, a context that often shapes both the school’s priorities and the challenges it faces.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 rated it Requires Improvement across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2014. Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show just 34% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — compared to the Hillingdon local authority average of 64%. Only 4% achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. Individual subject scores are mixed: 62% met expectations in writing, but only 46% in maths and 55% in reading. The school ranks 54th out of 55 primary schools in Hillingdon on this combined measure, placing it in the bottom 2% nationally. These figures paint a picture of a school where outcomes are significantly below local and national benchmarks.

On the ground, Cherry Lane offers a solid range of facilities including a library, outdoor playground, playing fields, a sensory room and a chapel. Sports provision covers swimming, netball, cricket, cross country, dance and football, while clubs include art, chess, choir, book club and science club. The school has a notably broad SEND offer, with provisions for dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language challenges, hearing and visual impairments, autistic spectrum disorder, and a resourced provision. There is also nursery provision for children from age 3. For families weighing up options, the school’s oversubscription suggests strong local loyalty, but the academic data and Ofsted rating are sobering. Those prioritising strong KS2 outcomes may want to look at the nearest Outstanding school, Hillingdon Primary School, 3.9 km away. Cherry Lane is best suited to families who value its inclusive SEND support and community feel, and who are prepared to engage closely with the school’s improvement journey.

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