Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up High Demand emoji_events #1 in Cambridgeshire public Top 2% UK

Chesterton Community College

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMrs Lucy Scott & Mr Rolf Purvis

corporate_fareEASTERN LEARNING ALLIANCE

location_onCambridge, CB4 3NY

language Visit Website phone 1223712150

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Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

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Students

1,041

trending_up

Attainment 8

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GCSE Rank

#1 in Cambridgeshire

#128 of 3,216 nationally

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Chesterton Community College is a Academy converter secondary school in Cambridge, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Highly competitive: 1.8× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Chesterton Community College is an academy converter in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of EASTERN LEARNING ALLIANCE. The school has approximately 1,129 pupils on roll, of whom 17% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 68, placing the school #1 in Cambridgeshire and #128 of 3,216 nationally. 83.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 62.3% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 26 A-level subjects. 70.8% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 34.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.22 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.8× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

83.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)62.3%

Entering EBacc53.70%

EBacc APS6.35

2024

Progress 8 Score

1.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc56.10%

EBacc APS5.83

2023

Progress 8 Score

1.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

63.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS5.89

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

59.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS5.46

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc59%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

1.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

62.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc60%

EBacc APS5.85

2018

Progress 8 Score

1.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

61.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc48%

EBacc APS5.69

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.22

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*11.1%

Achieving A*–A34.7%

Achieving A*–B70.8%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate96.1%

A-level subjects offered26

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.43

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate87.00%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

25 February 2025

Inspection Report

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06 July 2017

Inspection Report

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09 October 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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09 January 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-02-25

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2017-07-06

Maintained Academy and School Short inspection Legacy

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2013-10-09

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.7%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.8%(20 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,129 pupils. During this period, there were 31 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.7%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,129	31	2.7%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,137	27	2.4%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,116	19	1.7%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,121	19	1.7%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,119	26	2.3%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,042	23	2.2%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,041	16	1.5%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,040	10	1.0%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,006	16	1.6%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,007	20	2.0%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,009	9	0.9%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	992	3	0.3%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	993	0	0.0%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	990	18	1.8%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	993	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	993	17	1.7%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	998	36	3.6%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	970	5	0.5%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	977	10	1.0%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	999	39	3.9%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	971	17	1.8%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	988	14	1.4%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	999	12	1.2%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	960	16	1.7%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	964	11	1.1%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	968	10	1.0%	3.1%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 23 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 15 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 14 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 13 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils