North Cambridge Academy
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Secondary
PUPILS
677
AGES
11 - 16
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Academy sponsor led
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
Not Rated

Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
01223 717111

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(06/12/2018)
Full Report - All Reports
58%
NATIONAL AVG. 38%
5+ GCSEs grade 9-4 (standard pass or above) including English and maths



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 15% of schools in England) Below Average (About 18% of schools in England) Average (About 35% of schools in England) Above Average (About 16% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 16% of schools in England)

School Results Over Time

2019 2022 2023 2020 Covid-19 2021 Covid-19 UNLOCK

% of pupils who achieved 5+ GCSEs grade 9-4
2019 2022 2023 2020 Covid-19 2021 Covid-19 UNLOCK

% of pupils who achieved GCSE grade 5 or above in both English and maths
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Arbury Road
Kings Hedges
Cambridge
CB4 2JF
01223 508742

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection because the school’s leadership team has worked tirelessly to ensure a good quality of education for young people at the school. Staff know pupils well and most pupils settle well when they arrive at the school because routines are well established, and expectations are clear. In discussion with inspectors, pupils confirmed that the school’s ‘pledges’ are at the heart of what makes your school unique. The school’s focus on improving feedback to pupils about what their next steps in learning should be has helped pupils to make more rapid progress. In most subjects, pupils now know what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils said that teachers give them time to make improvements and that this helps them to learn better. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. For example, the trust recently carried out a thorough safeguarding audit of the school’s policies and practice. During the inspection, inspectors found strong evidence that the findings of the audit matched what they saw. The culture of safeguarding at North Cambridge Academy is embedded in policies, practice and training for staff. Pupils at the school said that they feel safe and they reported that they could talk to any member of staff if they had a concern. The school has a strong record of working with outside stakeholders to ensure that pupils are safe. Inspection findings In order to ascertain whether the school remains good, inspectors followed a number of lines of enquiry. Firstly, we considered how effectively the pupil premium grant is used to support disadvantaged pupils so that they make good progress over time. North Cambridge Academy (NCA) has adopted a ‘holistic’ approach to giving disadvantaged young people opportunities and experiences throughout their time at the school. For example, in addition to a wide range of clubs and trips, you provide ‘Saturday school’ enrichment sessions in dance and drama. You encourage younger pupils to take part in ‘99 things to do before you are 12 and three-quarters’, to broaden their life experience and learn to take risks. Pupils and families value these opportunities. In key stage 4, pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are expected to attend intervention sessions to help them embed their learning. Some pupils find this approach too prescriptive, but the majority say that it helps them to revise and prepare well for examinations. Pupils’ progress and attainment in GCSE science and mathematics have improved since the last inspection. In these subjects, most pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress. This is because learning is well planned. Pupils said that they quickly grasped the purpose of learning activities in these subjects because teachers use visual resources and provide models for pupils to follow. The school has introduced a ‘mastery programme’ to encourage pupils, particularly the most able, to investigate and explain their learning in greater depth. This work is developing in English, mathematics and science. However, inspectors found that the most able are not challenged in all subjects. As another line of enquiry, inspectors investigated whether pupils’ attendance is improving. Evidence provided by the school showed that pupils now attend school more regularly than they did three years ago. The school works closely with children, their families and outside agencies to provide support for pupils to arrive at school on time and attend all lessons. Pupils understand the connection between attendance and learning well. As a result, the number of pupils who attend school every day is increasing and these young people are proud of receiving special rewards for 100% attendance. The school’s work with pupils who are persistently absent is making a difference. Over the past three years, the number of pupils with poor attendance has decreased significantly. All pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have individual conversations with their tutors when they return to school after a period of absence. This helps to settle pupils back into school quickly. Inspectors also looked at the related issue of how the school encourages pupils to behave well in lessons and as they move around the school. Pupils in key stage 4 showed maturity and focus on learning, particularly in Years 10 and 11. School staff know pupils extremely well. Leaders’ knowledge of the local context has helped them to develop strategies to promote good learning behaviours.

North Cambridge Academy Parent Reviews



Average Parent Rating

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“A school with high aspirations”

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"> An inspirational school. Go to school website -http://www.northcambridgeacademy.org. This review site does not give a fair reflection of this go-getting, warm, inclusive school.
unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>31, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>38, "disagree"=>19, "strongly_disagree"=>13, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>19, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>38, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>13, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>25, "strongly_disagree"=>13, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>6, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>25, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>19, "dont_know"=>13} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>19, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>50, "agree"=>19, "disagree"=>13, "strongly_disagree"=>19, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>31, "agree"=>50, "disagree"=>6, "strongly_disagree"=>13, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019
Yes No {"yes"=>69, "no"=>31} UNLOCK Figures based on 16 responses up to 28-01-2019

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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