Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #30 in Cambridgeshire public Top 35% UK

Sir Harry Smith Community College

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

personMiss Dawn White

corporate_fareASPIRE LEARNING TRUST (WHITTLESEY)

location_onPeterborough, PE7 1XB

language Visit Website phone 1733703991

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,111

trending_up

Attainment 8

40.6

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GCSE Rank

#29 in Cambridgeshire

#2,454 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sir Harry Smith Community College is a Academy converter secondary school in Peterborough, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

Sir Harry Smith Community College is an academy converter in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of ASPIRE LEARNING TRUST (WHITTLESEY). The school has approximately 1,104 pupils on roll, of whom 26% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 40.6, placing the school #29 in Cambridgeshire and #2,454 of 3,216 nationally. 33.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 17 A-level subjects. 37.3% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 13.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.15 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

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

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.5:1. There are 4 teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 13.5 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

40.6

Grade 5+ E&M

33.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.0%

Entering EBacc30.00%

EBacc APS3.5

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.66

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

38.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc19.30%

EBacc APS3.28

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS3.76

2022

Progress 8 Score

-0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.99

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc20%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.84

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.01

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

46.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS3.91

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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)84%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)84%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)87%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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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

-0.15

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*3.2%

Achieving A*–A13.3%

Achieving A*–B37.3%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate96.4%

A-level subjects offered17

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.39

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate84.60%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate96.30%

2022

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate96.6%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

28 February 2024

Inspection Report

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10 October 2018

Inspection Report

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12 November 2014

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-09-30

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

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Requires improvement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2018-10-10

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-11-12

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2011-03-02

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

10.5%per term

warning Above Average

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

6.1%(67 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 1,104 pupils. During this period, there were 116 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 10.5%, which is above 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)	1,104	116	10.5%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,109	182	16.4%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,082	73	6.7%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,094	59	5.4%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,110	44	4.0%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,104	55	5.0%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,111	38	3.4%	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,107	28	2.5%	5.9%
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,113	44	4.0%	4.7%
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,121	47	4.2%	4.9%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,128	30	2.7%	4.4%
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,084	29	2.7%	3.6%
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,089	5	0.5%	1.0%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,099	23	2.1%	3.9%
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,056	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,056	22	2.1%	3.2%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,061	17	1.6%	4.2%
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,019	24	2.4%	3.1%
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,025	22	2.1%	3.8%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,030	12	1.2%	3.8%
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,020	27	2.6%	3.4%
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,019	14	1.4%	3.0%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,023	23	2.2%	3.7%
2016/17 (Summer term)	989	15	1.5%	3.0%
2016/17 (Spring term)	993	16	1.6%	3.3%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	999	12	1.2%	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 40 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 37 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 25 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 24 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 21 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 19 pupils

Hearing Impairment 3 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

44.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

45.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

10.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree2%

agree14%

disagree34%

strongly disagree45%

don't know4%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree4%

agree28%

disagree40%

strongly disagree25%

don't know3%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree6%

agree24%

disagree28%

strongly disagree30%

don't know2%

not applicable9%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes24%

no76%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree5%

agree11%

disagree39%

strongly disagree45%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree9%

agree33%

disagree29%

strongly disagree17%

don't know12%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree9%

agree38%

disagree30%

strongly disagree18%

don't know5%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree8%

agree46%

disagree31%

strongly disagree12%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree8%

agree52%

disagree23%

strongly disagree12%

don't know4%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree17%

agree67%

disagree6%

strongly disagree6%

don't know3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree6%

agree24%

disagree35%

strongly disagree23%

don't know12%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes28%

no72%

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Cambridgeshire

Chesterton Community College

Parkside Community College

St Bede's Inter-Church School

Impington Village College

Coleridge Community College

Sawston Village College