Downham Feoffees Primary Academy

About Downham Feoffees Primary Academy

Downham Feoffees Primary Academy was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a significant improvement from its previous Inadequate rating in 2017. The school now holds Good marks across all five inspected categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. On the headline KS2 measure of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, the school achieved 57%, which sits just one point below the Cambridgeshire local authority average of 58%. This places Downham Feoffees 106th out of 210 primary schools in the county. In the more localised East Cambridgeshire ranking, the school comes 19th out of 27 schools, putting it in the bottom half of its immediate area. The data suggests a school that has turned a corner in leadership and is now delivering broadly average outcomes for its pupils.

Looking deeper into the 2023/24 KS2 results, the school’s strongest subject was writing, where 75% of pupils met the expected standard and 4% reached the higher standard. Reading followed with 68% at expected and 21% at higher, while maths saw 64% at expected and 25% at higher. Average scaled scores were 103 in both reading and maths, exactly in line with the national average. The combined higher standard figure was just 4%, indicating that very few pupils are exceeding expectations across all three subjects. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Nationally, the school ranks 8,787th out of 13,686 primaries on the combined expected standard metric, placing it in the bottom half of schools across England. For parents focused on solid, above-average outcomes in writing and maths, the school delivers, but those seeking high levels of academic stretch may want to look at local peers like Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, which scores 90 on the same ranking metric.

The school is a small village primary with 149 pupils against a capacity of 210, so there is room for growth. It is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 20 first-preference applications for 20 places and 29 total applications, giving a ratio of 1.45 applicants per place. Facilities include a gymnasium, playing fields, a sensory room, art and music rooms, an ICT suite, a forest school area, and even a chapel. Sports on offer are football, cricket, cross country and rounders, while clubs include drama, film club, science club, eco club and choir. The school has dedicated SEND provisions for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Headteacher Benita Sherrington leads a school that suits families looking for a Good-rated, community-focused primary with a broad range of enrichment activities and a strong recent track record of improvement, set in the rural East Cambridgeshire area.

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