Cippenham School

About Cippenham School

Cippenham School is a large state primary in Slough, currently home to 1,017 pupils against a capacity of 1,050, meaning it runs very close to full. Its intake reflects a diverse community, with 15.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals — a figure that sits slightly above the national primary average but is fairly typical for the area. Demand is clearly strong: for the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school received 159 total applications for 108 places, with 103 of those coming as first preferences. That oversubscription ratio of 1.47 to one tells you this is a school local families actively want, and the fact that all first-preference applicants were offered a place suggests a well-managed admissions process rather than a scramble. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher Jatinder Virk, who took over a Good-rated school following its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2023.

Academically, Cippenham produces solid but not standout results. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 62% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — below the Slough local authority average of 70%. That places the school 19th out of 26 primaries in the borough, in the bottom half nationally. The picture is more mixed when you look at individual subjects: reading and maths average scores were 105 and 104 respectively, both a touch above the national benchmark of 100, and 79% hit the expected standard in reading. But only 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and just 3% did so in writing specifically, which is low. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, inspectors rated every category — quality of education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and early years — as Good, the same overall rating it held in its previous 2018 inspection.

The school is well equipped for a primary, with a gymnasium, library, sports hall, playing fields and an ICT suite. Sports provision is broad, including athletics, netball, gymnastics, cross country, swimming and tennis, and there is a decent range of clubs from art and choir to gardening, film and eco club. SEND support is a notable strength on paper: the school lists provisions for dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs — a comprehensive offer that will appeal to families whose children need extra support. Cippenham is not a nursery school and has no sixth form, so it is purely a primary option for ages 4 to 11. Given its size, strong demand and broad SEND offer, it suits families who want a large, inclusive community school with decent facilities and a Good Ofsted rating, even if its academic results sit below the local average.

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