Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School

About Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School

Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 reception intake, the school received 20 applications for just 5 places, giving it an oversubscription ratio of 4 to 1. All 5 first-preference applicants were offered a place, but the overall demand means it is officially oversubscribed. This level of competition is a strong signal of parent confidence, and it aligns with the school’s Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2023. The inspection report noted that the school is Good across all five key areas, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. That said, the school has previously held an Outstanding rating, awarded in 2010, so the current Good grade represents a step down in overall effectiveness. Still, for a small village primary with just 90 pupils on roll and a capacity of 94, the high demand suggests parents value what is on offer here.

Academically, Swaffham Bulbeck performs well above the local authority average. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 71% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Cambridgeshire average of 58%. The school’s average scaled scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. At the higher standard, 7% of pupils achieved the top level across all three subjects. In individual subjects, 36% reached the higher standard in maths, 29% in reading, and 21% in writing. The school ranks 6th out of 27 primary schools in East Cambridgeshire based on the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard, placing it in the top 50 tier nationally. Nationally, it sits in the 30th percentile, which is a solid performance for a small rural school.

The school offers a broad set of facilities for its size, including a library, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, and a chapel, plus outdoor playing fields and a playground. Sports on offer include cricket, football, athletics and rounders, and there are clubs for choir, drama and coding. For children with additional needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and hearing impairment. With a nursery on site, it caters for children from age 3. The school is a Church of England primary, which may appeal to families looking for a faith-based setting, though the data does not specify how this shapes the curriculum. Given its small size, strong academic results, and high local demand, this school is best suited to families living within its catchment area who want a tight-knit village primary with proven outcomes.

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