Sawtry Village Academy

About Sawtry Village Academy

If you're a parent weighing up Sawtry Village Academy, the numbers suggest other families are already voting with their feet. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 255 applications for 172 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.48. Of those, 181 put it as their first preference, and 165 first-preference offers were made. That level of demand is a strong signal that local parents see something working here. The school is a mixed, non-faith secondary for ages 11 to 18, with a current roll of 1,085 pupils against a capacity of 1,200. It sits in Huntingdonshire, part of the Cambridgeshire local authority, and is led by headteacher Simon Parsons. The most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in September 2023, confirmed the school remains Good, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2015. The sixth form was judged Outstanding in that same inspection, and leadership and management were rated Good.

Academically, Sawtry Village Academy is performing well above the national average. Its Progress 8 score for 2023/24 is 0.56, which places it in the top 25% of schools nationally and ranks it 1st out of 7 schools in Huntingdonshire. That score is significantly higher than the Cambridgeshire local authority average of 0.17. The Attainment 8 score sits at 49.4, and 70.6% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and maths. The EBacc entry rate is 44.4%, with 30.7% achieving a grade 4 or above across the EBacc subjects. In the sixth form, the average points per entry is 32.99, equivalent to a C+ grade, and the best three A-levels average out at a B-. The value-added score for A-levels is -0.04, which is broadly in line with expectations and banded as Average. The school also ranks 9th out of 39 secondary schools in the wider Cambridgeshire area.

For families considering the practical side, Sawtry Village Academy offers a solid range of facilities including a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, art studios, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports provision covers dance, cross country, athletics, cricket, basketball, badminton, and swimming, while clubs include the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, choir, orchestra, debate, and a gardening club. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 19.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a reasonably diverse intake. It's a good fit for families who want a secondary with strong academic momentum, an Outstanding sixth form, and a wide range of extracurricular options, all within a school that local parents are actively choosing.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Sawtry Village Academy

Helpful Guides for Parents