Townley Primary School

Fenland · PE14 9NA

General information Primary School · 2-11 years Who goes here 102 pupils, 35.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 25.5% on SEN support Behaviour 6.4% absence rate Staff 12.7% turnover Financials £9,790 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Townley Primary School

General Information

Address: Crown Road, Christchurch, Wisbech, PE14 9NA – View on map
Phone: 01354638229
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Maria-Anne Higgins
Age range: 2-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 6 families put it first for 6 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 2 of the 6 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

102 pupils out of 86 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 36
% eligible for free school meals: 35.3%
Pupil mix: 2 in 10 (less mixed than the Fenland average)
English as an additional language: 3% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 12.7% a year (Fenland 16.7%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 50% moved to another school, 50% 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. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

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: 6.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 14.9%
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

Resourced provision for Social, emotional and mental health 10 places · 6 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 25.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 18.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 9 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 2 pupils
Profound and multiple learning difficulty: 1 pupil

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: 38% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 6% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 13 percentage points below the Fenland average (51%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 36% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 36%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 75% · Writing 50% · Maths 50% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 56%
Average test scores: reading 103, maths 99
Based on: 16 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 schoolFenland averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 13 percentage points below the Fenland average (51%).

Year 6 SATs: 22nd of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

=19Peckover Primary School45%
#21Westwood Primary School42%
#22Townley Primary School38%
#23Burrowmoor Primary Academy32%
#24New Road Primary & Nursery School31%

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

#1Wisbech St Mary CofE Academy79%
#2Alderman Payne Primary School75%
#3Lionel Walden Primary School69%
#4Guyhirn CofE VC Primary School67%
#5Alderman Jacobs School66%
#6Benwick Primary School64%
#7Leverington Primary Academy63%
=8Elm CofE Primary School61%
=8Manea Community Primary School61%
#10Glebelands Primary Academy59%
=11Park Lane Primary & Nursery School57%
=11Ramnoth Junior School57%
#13Elm Road Primary School55%
=14Cavalry Primary School54%
=14St Peter's CofE Aided Junior School54%
#16Orchards Church of England Academy49%
=17Coates Primary School47%
=17Murrow Primary Academy47%
=19Kingsfield Primary School45%
=19Peckover Primary School45%
#21Westwood Primary School42%
#22Townley Primary School38%
#23Burrowmoor Primary Academy32%
#24New Road Primary & Nursery School31%
=25Friday Bridge Community Primary School29%
=25Gorefield Primary Academy29%
=27Kinderley Primary School27%
=27Thomas Eaton Primary Academy27%
#29All Saints Interchurch Academy17%

View full Ofsted inspection report

21st of 23 primary schools in Fenland for Ofsted rating

#19Peckover Primary SchoolGood
#20Thomas Eaton Primary AcademyGood
#21Townley Primary SchoolGood
#22Wisbech St Mary CofE AcademyGood
#23Burrowmoor Primary AcademyInadequate

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

#1Alderman Jacobs SchoolGood
#2Alderman Payne Primary SchoolGood
#3All Saints Interchurch AcademyGood
#4Benwick Primary SchoolGood
#5Cavalry Primary SchoolGood
#6Coates Primary SchoolGood
#7Elm Road Primary SchoolGood
#8Friday Bridge Community Primary SchoolGood
#9Glebelands Primary AcademyGood
#10Gorefield Primary AcademyGood
#11Guyhirn CofE VC Primary SchoolGood
#12Kinderley Primary SchoolGood
#13Kingsfield Primary SchoolGood
#14Leverington Primary AcademyGood
#15Lionel Walden Primary SchoolGood
#16Manea Community Primary SchoolGood
#17Murrow Primary AcademyGood
#18Park Lane Primary & Nursery SchoolGood
#19Peckover Primary SchoolGood
#20Thomas Eaton Primary AcademyGood
#21Townley Primary SchoolGood
#22Wisbech St Mary CofE AcademyGood
#23Burrowmoor Primary AcademyInadequate

Financials

Spending per pupil: £9,790 (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.

1st of 27 primary schools in Fenland for spending per pupil

#1Townley Primary School£9,790
#2Kinderley Primary School£9,501
#3All Saints Interchurch Academy£8,844

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

#1Townley Primary School£9,790
#2Kinderley Primary School£9,501
#3All Saints Interchurch Academy£8,844
#4Friday Bridge Community Primary School£8,588
#5Thomas Eaton Primary Academy£8,563
#6Benwick Primary School£8,435
#7Manea Community Primary School£8,239
#8Gorefield Primary Academy£7,950
#9Alderman Payne Primary School£7,907
#10Murrow Primary Academy£7,547
#11Kingsfield Primary School£7,416
#12Orchards Church of England Academy£7,144
#13Coates Primary School£6,926
#14Lionel Walden Primary School£6,901
#15Wisbech St Mary CofE Academy£6,803
#16Burrowmoor Primary Academy£6,753
#17Leverington Primary Academy£6,668
#18Peckover Primary School£6,607
#19Cavalry Primary School£6,560
#20New Road Primary & Nursery School£6,414
#21Elm Road Primary School£6,393
#22Glebelands Primary Academy£6,323
#23Guyhirn CofE VC Primary School£6,224
#24Westwood Primary School£6,118
#25Alderman Jacobs School£6,104
#26Park Lane Primary & Nursery School£6,034
#27Elm CofE Primary School£5,467

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

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