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Comberton Village College

Comberton Village College

South Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DUSecondary School·Ages 11-18
OutstandingQuality of Ed.

115%

Capacity

1,962

Pupils

2.4x

Demand

About Comberton Village College

Comberton Village College is a large, mixed secondary school in South Cambridgeshire that is significantly oversubscribed, a clear signal of its popularity with local families. The school currently has 1,962 pupils against a capacity of 1,700, meaning it is operating well above its intended size. For the 2025/26 academic year, there were 658 applications for 275 Year 7 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.39. Of those, 324 were first-preference applications, and 270 first-preference offers were made. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 11.9%, which is below the national average for secondary schools, reflecting the relatively affluent catchment area. The school has no religious character and is led by headteacher Victoria Hearn. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2024, the school was judged Outstanding across every graded category, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, a rating it has held consistently since at least 2013.

Academically, Comberton delivers strong results that place it comfortably above the local authority average. Its Progress 8 score of 0.42 is rated as 'Above average' and compares very favourably with the Cambridgeshire LA average of 0.17. This places the school 4th out of 10 schools in South Cambridgeshire and 66th out of 350 in the East of England region. At Key Stage 4, the Attainment 8 score is 55.8, and 76.6% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths. The EBacc average point score is 5.05, with 49.5% of pupils entering the EBacc combination of subjects. In the sixth form, 180 pupils achieved an average of 34.7 points per entry, equivalent to a grade of C+, and the value-added score of 0.03 is rated as 'Average'. The school's best three A-levels averaged at grade C+ as well. Parent views are overwhelmingly positive, with 90% of respondents saying they would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreeing that their child is happy, safe, and that the school has high expectations.

The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, astro turf, tennis courts, music rooms, an ICT suite, a library, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports on offer include football, rugby, netball, athletics, tennis, and rounders, while clubs range from orchestra and drama to Model UN, coding, and an eco club. For pupils with special educational needs, the school provides support for a broad spectrum of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs, and it also has a resourced provision. Given its size, strong academic track record, and high demand for places, Comberton Village College is best suited to families who are confident their child will thrive in a large, high-performing school environment. The oversubscription means that securing a place is competitive, particularly for those living outside the immediate catchment area.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 18 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressWest Street, Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DU
HeadteacherVictoria Hearn
Local AuthorityCambridgeshire
Number of Pupils1,962
Free School Meals (FSM)11.9%
School Capacity1,962 / 1,700 (115% full)
Sixth FormYes

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

19 Nov 2024
View Report

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Since Sep 2024, Ofsted no longer assigns a single overall grade

Quality of Education
Outstanding
Behaviour & Attitudes
Outstanding
Personal Development
Outstanding
Leadership & Management
Outstanding

Additional Provisions

Sixth Form Provision
Outstanding

Source: Ofsted, 12 Dec 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

League Table Position

Based on Progress 8 (+0.42)

626th of 3,141

Nationally

Top 25%

66th of 350

In East of England

Top 25%

4th of 10

In South Cambridgeshire

Top 50%

Source: Classpot analysis of DfE Progress 8 data

GCSE Results

2023/24

Progress 8 Score

+0.42Above Average

Students make more progress than similar students nationally

BelowAverageAbove

Attainment 8 (vs national avg)

+55.8Well Above Average

Students achieve significantly higher grades than the national average

BelowAverageAbove
Grade 9-4 (Standard Pass)77%
Grade 9-5 (Strong Pass)66%

Source: Department for Education, 2023/24. Progress 8 compares to students with similar Key Stage 2 results.

A-Level Results

2023/24
180 students

Average Points per Entry

34.7Grade C+

Value Added Score

+0.03Average
BelowAverageAbove

Best 3 A-Levels (Average)

34.5Grade C+
AAB or higher (inc. 2 facilitating)13%
Avg Points per Entry over timeDeclining -4.0

'21/22

40.7

'22/23

36.6

'23/24

34.7

Source: Department for Education 16-18 Performance Tables, 2023/24. Value Added measures progress compared to students with similar GCSE results.

Where GCSE leavers go

2022/23

44%

of GCSE leavers stay on for sixth form at this school (cohort: 292 pupils).

  • School sixth form (stay)44%
  • Sixth form college37%
  • FE college13%
  • Employment2%
  • Apprenticeship1%
  • Not sustained1%

98% of leavers had a sustained destination 6 months on.

Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance, KS4 pupil destinations 2022/23 (revised). Only state-funded schools are required to report.

Where school leavers go

2022/23

53%

of A-level / Level 3 leavers go to higher education (cohort: 249 pupils).

Top-tier university progression

33%

Russell Group

37%

Top-third HE

2%

Oxford / Cambridge

Percentages of the whole cohort (not just HE-goers). Russell Group = 24 elite research universities. Top-third HE = top by mean UCAS tariff.

  • University (HE)53%
  • Employment30%
  • Not sustained6%
  • Apprenticeship3%
  • Other education2%

Sources: DfE 16-18 destination measures (broad bucket); DfE KS5 student destinations file (Russell Group / top-third HE / Oxbridge). Level 3 cohort. “Sustained” means the pupil was in education, apprenticeship or employment for 6 months in the year following completion.

Sixth form A-level subjects

2022/23
26 subjects
6 STEM6 creative / arts592 total entries
  • Mathematics67
  • Psychology48
  • Physics42
  • Biology41
  • Business Studies:Single38
  • History36
  • Geography33
  • Sociology33
  • Chemistry30
  • English Language28
  • Computer Studies / Computing22
  • Economics22

Subjects with at least 3 entries in 2022/23. Number shown next to each subject is the number of pupils who sat that A-level exam — a rough indicator of subject popularity at this school. Source: DfE Compare School & College Performance.

Ofsted Parent View

452 responses

Would Recommend This School

90%Excellent
Needs Attentionbelow 70%
Bullying dealt with
15%
Concerns dealt with
56%
Strengths95%+ agree
Subject rangeClubs & activities

Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025

SEND Support

Resourced Provision
AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageHearingVisionLearning DifficultyResourced ProvisionOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

Facilities

8
Tennis CourtsSwimming PoolSports HallMusic RoomsAstro TurfICT SuiteLibrarySixth Form Centre

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

13

Sports

FootballRugbyRoundersTennisAthleticsNetball

Clubs & Activities

OrchestraModel United NationsNewspaperCodingDramaEco ClubDebate

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

Admissions

2025/26Oversubscribed
Places

275

Applications

658

Good Demand

Popular school with more applications than places

Applications to places ratio2.4x
0x1x2x3x5x+

324 families put this school as their 1st choice (49% of all applications)

Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.

Class profile

2024/25
Pupils per teacherTop 25% of schools
15.9pupils per qualified teacher

Better than 75% of schools in England.

Average class sizeTop 25% of schools
21.4pupils per class

Better than 75% of schools in England.

Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.

Pupils & demographics

2024/25
Free school meals11.9%

Below the national average (25%).

English as additional language10.5%

Above the national median (10%) — a meaningful share speak English as an additional language.

Ethnic background

  • White British71.2%
  • White (other)8.8%
  • Mixed7.5%
  • Asian6.7%
  • Black0.1%

Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.

Attendance & Behaviour

2024/25
Overall attendanceBottom 25% of schools
93.1%

75% of schools in England do better than this.

Persistent absenteesBelow average
15.1%

Half of schools in England do better than this.

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

Fixed-period suspensionsBottom 25% of schools
6.2 per 100

75% of schools in England do better than this.

A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.

Permanent exclusionsLike most schools
None

Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.

Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.

Catchment & Local Competition

Loading map...
1 mile reference · no real data

No catchment data published for this school

The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.

⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.

Schools within 1 mile (reference area)

1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.

2

Total schools

2

Oversubscribed

1

Primary

Medium competition area

Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.

Frequently Asked Questions About Comberton Village College

Comberton Village College has been rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted. This means the school provides an exceptional quality of education, and pupils thrive both academically and personally.

Contact Information

01223262503www.combertonvc.org

West Street, Cambridge

South Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DU

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West Street, Cambridge

South Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DU

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Opening Hours

Monday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed

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