SCHOOL PROFILE

Highfield Ely Academy

Not applicable Academy special converter URN 143111
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 134 Published school capacity
Capacity used 100.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 2 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

15 May 2024
Latest published outcome School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy special converter
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Cambridgeshire
Trust THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 134 134 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 37 27.6% of pupils
Male pupils 97 72.4% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

49.3%
24.5 pts above England
School 49.3%
East Cambridgeshire 18.9%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

10.4%
9.9 pts below England
School 10.4%
East Cambridgeshire 8.9%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 2.9%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
76.9%
103
Any other White background
8.2%
11
Any other Mixed background
3.7%
5
African
2.2%
3
Any other Asian background
1.5%
2
Pakistani
1.5%
2
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 134 of 134 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
East Cambridgeshire 20.8%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 134 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Moderate learning difficulty 43
Severe learning difficulty 37
Autistic spectrum disorder 25
Specific learning difficulty 9
Speech, language & communication 9
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 6

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 59.0%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 70.7%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 65.8%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
East Cambridgeshire 70.2%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.84%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.62 pts higher than England
School 6.84%
East Cambridgeshire 6.25%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

19.47%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

3.65 pts higher than England
School 19.47%
East Cambridgeshire 14.39%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

0.00%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.80 pts lower than England
School 0.00%
East Cambridgeshire 2.04%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

100.0% 20.2 pts above England
Highfield Ely Academy
100.0%
East Cambridgeshire
80.0%
East of England
78.7%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information