Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #20 in Cambridgeshire public Top 15% UK

Ely College

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

personMr Simon Warburton

corporate_fareMERIDIAN TRUST

location_onEly, CB6 2SH

language Visit Website phone 1353667763

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2019

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Students

1,556

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Attainment 8

49.7

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GCSE Rank

#18 in Cambridgeshire

#971 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Ely College is a Academy converter secondary school in Ely, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Ely College is an academy converter in Ely, Cambridgeshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of MERIDIAN TRUST. The school has approximately 1,649 pupils on roll, of whom 16% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 49.7, placing the school #18 in Cambridgeshire and #971 of 3,216 nationally. 53.50% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 23.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 22 A-level subjects. 25.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 6.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.1 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2019. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 2 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.9 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

49.7

Grade 5+ E&M

53.50%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)23.7%

Entering EBacc36.30%

EBacc APS4.33

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.65

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

52.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30.60%

EBacc APS4.57

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc50%

EBacc APS4.43

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.32

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS4.93

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61%

EBacc APS4.09

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc25%

EBacc APS3.97

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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

97%

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

Apprenticeships6%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment7%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment8%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships4%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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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

-0.1

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*–A6.2%

Achieving A*–B25.4%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate94.3%

A-level subjects offered22

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.19

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate75.00%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate86.40%

2022

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

25 March 2025

Inspection Report

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11 June 2019

Inspection Report

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08 September 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2019-06-11

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2015-02-11

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

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

3.9%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.7%(44 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 1,649 pupils. During this period, there were 64 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.9%, 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	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,649	64	3.9%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,672	65	3.9%	7.8%	2
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,619	74	4.6%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,628	62	3.8%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,641	73	4.4%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,545	44	2.8%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,556	52	3.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,561	34	2.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,421	31	2.2%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,423	37	2.6%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,423	25	1.8%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,292	37	2.9%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,298	3	0.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,299	37	2.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,218	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,218	20	1.6%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,212	25	2.1%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,104	21	1.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,110	25	2.3%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,115	44	3.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,085	36	3.3%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,086	33	3.0%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,086	56	5.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,097	33	3.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,093	32	2.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,097	33	3.0%	3.1%	0

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 59 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 24 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 21 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 18 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 12 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

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Ely College

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)

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