The Shade Primary School

About The Shade Primary School

The Shade Primary School is a state-funded, mixed primary school in East Cambridgeshire, operating under the Cambridgeshire local authority. It ranks 189th out of 210 same-type schools in the LA, placing it in the bottom half locally. For context, the top-performing peers in the area include Histon and Impington Brook Primary School, Caldecote Primary School, and Abbots Ripton CofE Primary School, all of which sit at the other end of the rankings. The school serves 267 pupils against a capacity of 472, and 16.3 per cent of students are eligible for free school meals. It has a nursery provision for children aged two and above, and the headteacher is Jane Segust. The school does not have a religious character. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2024, it was rated Good overall, with Good marks across all assessed areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2015, which also rated it Good.

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 24 per cent, well below the LA average of 58 per cent. In reading, 72 per cent met the expected standard and 24 per cent achieved a higher score, with an average score of 103. In maths, 59 per cent reached the expected standard and 10 per cent achieved a higher score, with an average score of 101. Writing was notably weaker, with only 31 per cent meeting the expected standard and no pupils achieving a higher score. The school ranks 27th out of 27 schools in East Cambridgeshire on the KS2 expected standard metric, placing it in the bottom 50 nationally. Progress scores are not available for any subject, so it is difficult to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school does not have a sixth form.

The school offers a range of facilities including playing fields, a dining hall, library, music rooms, art studios, gymnasium, and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, athletics, cross country, rounders, dance, swimming, and gymnastics, while clubs include coding, art, science, chess, film, and gardening. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. Parent View responses from 45 parents between September 2024 and September 2025 show that 87 per cent would recommend the school. Strong agreement was high for pupil happiness (76 per cent) and safety (69 per cent), though concerns about SEND support saw 25 per cent strongly disagreeing. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 80 applications for 29 places and 43 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.76. This suggests strong local demand despite the academic rankings, and the school may suit families who prioritise a Good Ofsted rating, a broad range of activities, and a supportive community feel over top-tier exam results.

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