Highfield Littleport Academy
Highfield Littleport Academy is a sponsored special academy in Ely for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 162 pupils and room for 164. About 49 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Elmside, Ely, CB6 1LJ01353 223301highfieldlittleport.orgMr Adam Daw headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 March 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
19 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | – | – | 0.7 | – | 49.3 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | – | -1.70 | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | – | – | 0% | – | 51% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | – | – | 0% | – | 69% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | – | – | 0.06 | – | 4.48 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | – | – | 0% | – | 46% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | – | 0.8 | – | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
11 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | Cambridgeshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 11 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 4 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | 8% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -7.4 | -13.4 | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -7.4 | -13.9 | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Cambridgeshire with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (65), Moderate learning difficulty (50), Specific learning difficulty (28), Severe learning difficulty (4), language and communications needs (3), Other difficulty or disability (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 162 | 146 | 143 | 137 | 124 | 124 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 49% | 49% | 49% | 49% | 48% | 48% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 6% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.3% | 11.2% | 10.6% | 8.9% | 5.5% | 7.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.1% | 7.1% | 6.5% | 6.9% | 4.1% | 6.7% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.3% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 1.0% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.2% | 26.6% | 27.9% | 30.9% | 15.5% | 30.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 4.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 9 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vista Academy Littleport | Academy | 10 m | 547 | Report card 2025 | 16 | Compare |
| Littleport Community Primary School | Council | 640 m | 406 | No overall grade 2024 | 36 | Compare |
| Millfield Primary School | Academy | 0.9 miles | 416 | Good 2024 | 26 | Compare |
| Downham Feoffees Primary Academy | Academy | 3.1 miles | 150 | Good 2022 | 48 | Compare |
| Isle of Ely Primary School | Academy | 3.8 miles | 446 | Good 2023 | 82 | Compare |
| Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School | Academy | 3.9 miles | 226 | Good 2023 | 46 | Compare |
| Spring Meadow Infant School | Council | 4.0 miles | 143 | Good 2024 | 15 | Compare |
| Lantern Community Primary School | Academy | 4.1 miles | 448 | Good 2022 | 45 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Highfield Littleport Academy a good school?
Highfield Littleport Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2022.
What is Highfield Littleport Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Highfield Littleport Academy good at its last full inspection on 22 March 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Highfield Littleport Academy's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.
How many pupils does Highfield Littleport Academy have?
162 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 164 places, so it is 99% full.
What is attendance like at Highfield Littleport Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Highfield Littleport Academy have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Elmside, Ely, CB6 1LJ
- Telephone
- 01353 223301
- Website
- www.highfieldlittleport.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Adam Daw
- Type of school
- Sponsored special academy (Academy special sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- The Active Learning Trust Limited (21 schools)
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Ward
- Littleport
- Constituency
- Ely and East Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2017 (new provision)
- URN
- 140882 · LAESTAB 8737004 · UKPRN 10064707
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.