Robert Arkenstall Primary School

East Cambridgeshire · CB6 3UA

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 269 pupils, 17.1% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 11.9% on SEN support Behaviour 6.2% absence rate Staff 7% turnover Financials £6,350 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Robert Arkenstall Primary School

General Information

Address: Camping Close, High Street, Ely, CB6 3UA – View on map
Phone: 01353740253
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Kate Bonney
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 26 families put it first for 26 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 11 · 2025 9 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

269 pupils out of 300 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 46
% eligible for free school meals: 17.1%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (similar to the East Cambridgeshire average)
English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 7% a year (East Cambridgeshire 13.8%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 67% moved to another school, 33% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Cambridgeshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 9 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Cambridgeshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 14.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 11.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 11 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2022 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 53% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 6% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 10 percentage points below the East Cambridgeshire average (63%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Below (3-year average 56% against an expected 64%)
3-year average (expected standard): 56%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 75% · Writing 69% · Maths 58% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 67%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 103
Based on: 36 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolEast Cambridgeshire averageEngland↘ Falling Down 20 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 10 percentage points below the East Cambridgeshire average (63%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 23rd of 27 junior and primary schools in the area

=21Sutton CofE VC Primary School54%
=23Isleham Church of England Primary School53%
=23Robert Arkenstall Primary School53%
#25Wilburton CofE Primary School50%
#26The Weatheralls Primary School44%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School100%
#2Ditton Lodge Primary School96%
#3Swaffham Prior Church of England Primary School94%
#4Little Thetford CofE Primary School77%
=5St Andrew's CofE Primary School75%
=5Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School75%
#7Cheveley CofE Primary School74%
#8Bottisham Community Primary School72%
#9Isle of Ely Primary School71%
#10Ely St John's Community Primary School68%
=11Burwell Village College (Primary)66%
=11Millfield Primary School66%
#13Littleport Community Primary School64%
#14Stretham Community Primary School63%
#15Fordham CofE Primary School62%
=16Downham Feoffees Primary Academy61%
=16Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School61%
=16Kettlefields Primary School61%
=19Kennett Primary School55%
=19The Shade Primary School55%
=21Lantern Community Primary School54%
=21Sutton CofE VC Primary School54%
=23Isleham Church of England Primary School53%
=23Robert Arkenstall Primary School53%
#25Wilburton CofE Primary School50%
#26The Weatheralls Primary School44%
#27The Rackham Church of England Primary School and Pre-School38%

View full Ofsted inspection report

13th of 20 primary schools in East Cambridgeshire for Ofsted rating

#11Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Millfield Primary SchoolGood
#13Robert Arkenstall Primary SchoolGood
#14St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#15Sutton CofE VC Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Bottisham Community Primary SchoolGood
#2Burwell Village College (Primary)Good
#3Cheveley CofE Primary SchoolGood
#4Downham Feoffees Primary AcademyGood
#5Fordham CofE Primary SchoolGood
#6Isle of Ely Primary SchoolGood
#7Kennett Primary SchoolGood
#8Kettlefields Primary SchoolGood
#9Lantern Community Primary SchoolGood
#10Little Thetford CofE Primary SchoolGood
#11Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Millfield Primary SchoolGood
#13Robert Arkenstall Primary SchoolGood
#14St Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#15Sutton CofE VC Primary SchoolGood
#16Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#17Swaffham Prior Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18Wilburton CofE Primary SchoolGood
#19Burrough Green CofE Primary AcademyRequires improvement
#20The Weatheralls Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,350 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

18th of 27 primary schools in East Cambridgeshire for spending per pupil

#16Cheveley CofE Primary School£6,635
#17Burwell Village College (Primary)£6,353
#18Robert Arkenstall Primary School£6,350
#19Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School£6,270
#20Lantern Community Primary School£6,255

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Burrough Green CofE Primary Academy£10,315
#2Little Thetford CofE Primary School£8,341
#3Wilburton CofE Primary School£8,245
#4Kennett Primary School£7,771
#5Swaffham Prior Church of England Primary School£7,566
#6Sutton CofE VC Primary School£7,565
#7The Weatheralls Primary School£7,155
#8Bottisham Community Primary School£6,889
#9Kettlefields Primary School£6,846
#10The Rackham Church of England Primary School and Pre-School£6,809
#11Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School£6,804
#12Stretham Community Primary School£6,729
#13Fordham CofE Primary School£6,724
#14Littleport Community Primary School£6,722
#15The Shade Primary School£6,680
#16Cheveley CofE Primary School£6,635
#17Burwell Village College (Primary)£6,353
#18Robert Arkenstall Primary School£6,350
#19Swaffham Bulbeck Church of England Primary School£6,270
#20Lantern Community Primary School£6,255
#21Isleham Church of England Primary School£6,243
#22Ely St John's Community Primary School£6,175
#23Downham Feoffees Primary Academy£6,027
#24Millfield Primary School£6,018
#25Isle of Ely Primary School£5,827
#26Ditton Lodge Primary School£5,683
#27St Andrew's CofE Primary School£5,510

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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