St Matthew's Primary School

About St Matthew's Primary School

St Matthew’s Primary School sits within the Cambridgeshire local authority, a large state primary in Cambridge that ranks 10th out of 26 schools in the city itself when measured by the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at key stage 2. That puts it comfortably in the top half of Cambridge primaries, though it sits behind the top-performing peers in the area: Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, Caldecote Primary School and Abbots Ripton CofE Primary School all score higher on the same metric. Across the wider East of England region, St Matthew’s ranks 525th out of 1,612 primary schools, and nationally it sits at 5,070th out of 13,686. The school is led by headteacher Anthony Davies and is non-denominational, with a nursery provision for children aged three and above. It is a large school, with 646 pupils on roll against a capacity of 660, and it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 153 applications for 89 places, with 73 first-preference offers made.

Academically, St Matthew’s performs above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, 68% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Cambridgeshire LA average of 58%. The school’s average scores were 108 in reading and 106 in maths, both above the national benchmark of 100. At the higher standard, 13% of pupils achieved the higher threshold across all three subjects, with 42% reaching that level in reading and 36% in maths. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, carried out in March 2020, the school was rated Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision and personal development. A subsequent ungraded inspection in April 2025 confirmed that standards were being maintained. The previous inspection, in 2011, had rated the school Outstanding overall, so the current Good rating represents a measured step down, though the school continues to perform well on key academic indicators.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including a library, ICT suite, playing fields and a chapel, and runs clubs such as gardening, coding, art and eco club. Sports on offer include football, netball, tennis, gymnastics and dance. St Matthew’s has a wide SEND offer, with provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and social, emotional and mental health support, among others. Parent feedback is strong: 94% of the 177 respondents to the Ofsted Parent View survey would recommend the school, and large majorities strongly agreed that their child is happy, feels safe and does well. The school is oversubscribed, so families applying will need to be mindful of the 1.72 oversubscription ratio. For those seeking an Outstanding-rated alternative, the nearest such primary is the University of Cambridge Primary School, 3.1 kilometres away. St Matthew’s suits families who want a large, well-regarded community primary with strong SEND support and a clear academic track record above the local average.

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