School Chooser

Mander Portman Woodward

Independent · ages 14-20MixedIndependent133 pupilsSixth formCambridgeCambridgeshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Places107 spare133 pupils, 240 places
Average A level gradeB-2024/25
Pupils on roll133Census January 2024

Mander Portman Woodward is an independent school in Cambridge for boys and girls aged 14 to 20. It has 133 pupils and room for 240.

3-4 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE01223 350158mpw.ac.uk/locations/cambridgeMrs Ann Meisner principalAll 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

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

Average GCSE score20.6
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: 36.436.420182019: 2.12.120192022: 21.221.220222023: 10.810.820232024: 20.220.220242025: 20.620.62025
Since 2018: -15.8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018CambridgeshireEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 111734311612613
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 820.620.210.821.22.136.449.346.8
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%3%0%0%1%0%51%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths0%3%0%0%1%0%69%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score1.671.650.771.490.132.354.484.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%3%0%0%0%0%46%41%

Subjects

Results came out for 4 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.

What is taught hereOffers triple science.

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

Every subject against England, 2025
Biology10 entries
60%England 82%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Biology1020%60%80%82%
Physics911%78%78%82%
English Language714%71%71%54%
Chemistry729%71%86%81%

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

79 students finished sixth-form courses.

Average A level gradeB-38.1 points per entry
A level progress+0.47Against students elsewhere with the same GCSE grades. 0 is average.
AAB or better22%with two subjects universities favour
All sixth-form measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018
Students79929059176199
Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry38.1334.4037.9540.3138.6836.40
Average A level gradeB-C+B-BBB-
Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS37.2433.1736.6138.6538.6035.00
AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects22%13%29%14%20%19%
A level progressA level value added+0.47-0.21+0.67+0.22

A level subjects

10 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

Chinese100%A* to B, England 64% · 10 entries
Biology69%A* to B, England 49% · 13 entries
A levels taught hereThe small number is how many students sat each one in 2025.
SubjectsMathematics53Physics22Business Studies19Economics18Chemistry18Mathematics (Further)14Biology13Chinese10Accounting and Finance6Government and Politics6
Every A level subject against England, 2025
Mathematics53 entries · 43% A* or A · 98% passed
57%England 60%
Physics22 entries · 23% A* or A · 96% passed
36%England 51%
Business Studies19 entries · 21% A* or A · 100% passed
37%England 47%
Economics18 entries · 22% A* or A · 100% passed
56%England 57%
Chemistry18 entries · 56% A* or A · 94% passed
61%England 53%
Mathematics (Further)14 entries · 36% A* or A · 100% passed
71%England 76%
Biology13 entries · 46% A* or A · 92% passed
69%England 49%
Chinese10 entries · 100% A* or A · 100% passed
100%England 64%
Accounting and Finance6 entries · 17% A* or A · 50% passed
33%England 37%
Government and Politics6 entries · 0% A* or A · 83% passed
67%England 55%

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. None of the gaps 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
12.527.8
Gap 15.3England 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

Open to all. There is no entrance test.

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 roll133Census January 2024
Places24055% full
Pupils from low-income familiesGet free school meals
Pupils getting extra support25%33 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%3 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls58 / 75
How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll133159211220181178
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support31%34%32%21%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans1%1%1%1%1%

What pupils do next

After sixth form

Where the 65 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training63%and stayed there for at least six months
Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers
Still in education, work or training63%52%62%
Education55%48%48%
Apprenticeship0%2%0%
Work8%2%15%
Not in education, work or training5%7%7%

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m19912 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate93 per 1,000 peopleabout 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
Heritage SchoolIndependent120 m203Not inspectedCompare
St Mary's SchoolIndependent (grammar)180 m510Not inspectedCompare
The Leys SchoolIndependent (grammar)190 m564Not inspectedCompare
The Stephen Perse FoundationIndependent (grammar)210 m1,482Not inspectedCompare
St Pauls CofE VA Primary SchoolChurch of England300 m152Report card 202617Compare
St Alban's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy410 m205No overall grade 202596Compare
Sancton Wood SchoolIndependent560 m363Not inspectedCompare
Cardiff Sixth Form College, CambridgeIndependent (grammar)570 m100Not inspectedCompare

Questions parents ask

Is Mander Portman Woodward a good school?

We don't have enough published data to score Mander Portman Woodward yet.

How good are Mander Portman Woodward'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 20.6, against 46.8 for England.

How many pupils does Mander Portman Woodward have?

133 pupils aged 14 to 20 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 240 places, so it is 55% full.

Does Mander Portman Woodward have a sixth form?

Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B-. 10 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
3-4 Brookside, Cambridge, CB2 1JE
Telephone
01223 350158
Website
www.mpw.ac.uk/locations/cambridge
Principal
Mrs Ann Meisner
Type of school
Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
Phase
Independent school, ages 14-20, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Cambridgeshire
Ward
Market
Constituency
Cambridge
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
26 September 1988
URN
110930 · LAESTAB 8736017 · UKPRN 10013108

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from