School Chooser

Abbey College Cambridge

Independent · ages 12-21MixedIndependent337 pupilsSixth formCambridgeshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places243 spare337 pupils, 580 places
Average A level gradeB+2024/25
Pupils on roll337Census January 2024

Abbey College Cambridge is an independent school in Cambridgeshire for boys and girls aged 12 to 21. It has 337 pupils and room for 580.

Homerton Gardens, Purbeck Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 8EB01223 578280abbeycambridge.co.ukDr Elena Hesse headteacherAll details

Inspection

This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

171 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score3.3
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths0%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 6.26.220182019: 4.24.220192022: 12.912.920222023: 11.611.620232024: 13.713.720242025: 3.33.32025
Since 2018: -2.9
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018CambridgeshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 111715644435057
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 83.313.711.612.94.26.249.346.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%51%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%69%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.280.960.800.940.320.494.484.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%46%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 1 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.

Strongest subjects

Mathematics91%grades 9 to 5, England 53%
What is taught here

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Mathematics35 entries
91%England 53%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Mathematics3554%91%100%53%

In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.

A level and sixth-form results, 2025

106 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB+44.6 points per entry
A level progress+0.25Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better40%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students10611611189346324
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry44.5943.8045.2546.1249.3942.58
Average A level gradeB+B+A-A-AB+
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS44.6044.5145.8847.4250.0445.71
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects40%38%48%57%64%51%
A level progressA level value added+0.25+0.35+0.93+0.78

A level subjects

13 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.

Strongest A levels

Biology88%A* to B, England 49% · 17 entries
Chinese100%A* to B, England 64% · 12 entries
Chemistry84%A* to B, England 53% · 25 entries
Economics88%A* to B, England 57% · 32 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics90Mathematics (Further)43Physics42Economics32Chemistry25Biology17Chinese12Russian9Accounting and Finance7Business Studies6History5Government and Politics5Fine Art5
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics90 entries · 60% A* or A · 99% passed
77%England 60%
Mathematics (Further)43 entries · 56% A* or A · 100% passed
86%England 76%
Physics42 entries · 41% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 51%
Economics32 entries · 44% A* or A · 100% passed
88%England 57%
Chemistry25 entries · 56% A* or A · 100% passed
84%England 53%
Biology17 entries · 53% A* or A · 100% passed
88%England 49%
Chinese12 entries · 92% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 64%
Russian9 entries · 100% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 75%
Accounting and Finance7 entries · 14% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 37%
Business Studies6 entries · 33% A* or A · 100% passed
50%England 47%
History5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 55%
Government and Politics5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 55%
Fine Art5 entries · 0% A* or A · 0% passed
0%England 65%

A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. Every gap at this school is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At GCSE, 2025

Average GCSE scoreBoys vs girls
3.43.2
Gap 0.2England 3.0
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Cambridgeshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll337Census January 2024
Places58058% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support4%13 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls171 / 166
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll337428466450394424
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support2%2%4%5%5%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%0%0%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 111 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training74%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training74%66%70%
Education74%66%69%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%
Work0%0%1%
Not in education, work or training1%1%1%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m34012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate60 per 1,000 people34% lower than the England average
Typical house price£495,000Cambridge

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hills Road Sixth Form CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter260 mNot inspectedCompare
The Perse SchoolIndependent720 m1,774Not inspectedCompare
St Faith's SchoolIndependent750 m532Not inspectedCompare
Morley Memorial Primary SchoolCouncil810 m371Good 202460Compare
Long Road Sixth Form CollegeAcademy 16-19 converter870 mNot inspectedCompare
St. Andrew's College CambridgeIndependent980 m123Not inspectedCompare
Trumpington Community CollegeAcademy0.6 miles613Good 202376Compare
St Mary's SchoolIndependent (grammar)0.7 miles510Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Abbey College Cambridge a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Abbey College Cambridge yet.

How good are Abbey College Cambridge's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 3.3, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Abbey College Cambridge have?

337 pupils aged 12 to 21 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 580 places, so it is 58% full.

Does Abbey College Cambridge have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B+. 13 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Homerton Gardens, Purbeck Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 8EB
Telephone
01223 578280
Website
www.abbeycambridge.co.uk
Headteacher
Dr Elena Hesse
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 12-21, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Cambridgeshire
Ward
Queen Edith's
Constituency
South Cambridgeshire
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
2 March 2010 (new provision)
URN
136083 · LAESTAB 8736049 · UKPRN 10029725

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from