Robert Arkenstall Primary School

About Robert Arkenstall Primary School

Robert Arkenstall Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in East Cambridgeshire, within the Cambridgeshire local authority. Among the 210 primary schools in the county, it ranks 172nd, placing it in the bottom half locally. The top-performing peers in the same area include Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, Caldecote Primary School, and Abbots Ripton CofE Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same ranking metric. The school sits in a largely rural district and serves 286 pupils, just shy of its 300-place capacity. It is a non-denominational school with no religious character, and its headteacher is Kate Bonney. The school was last inspected by Ofsted in May 2022, when it was judged to remain Good overall, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2012.

Academically, the school’s Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year show a mixed picture. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 41%, well below the Cambridgeshire local authority average of 58%. In individual subjects, 59% met the expected standard in reading and 57% in writing, while maths was also at 59%. The proportion achieving the higher standard in all three subjects was just 8%, with 24% reaching higher in reading, 11% in writing and 19% in maths. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 10% of all primaries on the combined expected standard metric, and in the bottom half within the East of England region. 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.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, library, dining hall, forest school area, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, gymnastics, football, cricket and tennis, while clubs include book club, drama, choir, coding, science club and chess. The school has identified SEND provisions for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 54 applications were received for 31 places, with 27 first-preference offers made. This suggests strong local demand despite the below-average academic outcomes. Families who value a broad range of extracurricular activities and a supportive SEND framework may find this school a good fit, particularly if they live within the catchment area.

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