School Chooser

OA - Cambridge

Pupil referral unit / alternative provision · ages 5-16MixedAcademy alternative provision converter5 pupilsCambridgeCambridgeshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, July 2022
Pupils from low-income families80%Far more than most schools
Places43 spare5 pupils, 48 places
Pupils per teacher8.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll5Census January 2026

OA - Cambridge is an academy alternative provision converter in Cambridge for boys and girls aged 5 to 16. It has 5 pupils and room for 48. About 80 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.

Ascham Road, Cambridge, CB4 2BD01223 375514apcambridge.oliveacademies.org.ukMr Mark Kirby executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 July 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

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 roll5Census January 2026
Places4810% full
Pupils from low-income families80%80% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support40%2 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan40%2 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)40%£2,200 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls5 / 0
White British pupils80%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (3), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll594112
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals80%44%50%0%100%100%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support22%0%0%0%50%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans22%0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers4.7full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher8.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£52,493
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£29,391England £7,128. Total £1.4m
Income per pupil£34,739England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,565England £3,405
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £169k, £3,674 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£246kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£29,391spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m46512 months to June 2026, mostly shoplifting
Local crime rate116 per 1,000 people28% higher 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
Milton Road Primary SchoolCouncil70 m424No overall grade 202595Compare
Castle School, CambridgeCouncil300 m233Requires improvement 2024Compare
Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA)Independent550 m453Not inspectedCompare
Chesterton Community CollegeAcademy560 m1,126No overall grade 202599Compare
Arbury Primary SchoolCouncil650 m380Good 202365Compare
North Cambridge AcademyAcademy770 m687Not inspected44Compare
Colleges Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school850 m75Outstanding 2024Compare
St Luke's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy960 m59Requires improvement 202331Compare

Questions parents ask

Is OA - Cambridge a good school?

OA - Cambridge doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in July 2022.

What is OA - Cambridge's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated OA - Cambridge good at its last full inspection on 5 July 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 many pupils does OA - Cambridge have?

5 pupils aged 5 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 48 places, so it is 10% full.

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

Contact and details

Address
Ascham Road, Cambridge, CB4 2BD
Telephone
01223 375514
Website
apcambridge.oliveacademies.org.uk
Executive Headteacher
Mr Mark Kirby
Type of school
Academy alternative provision converter (Academy alternative provision converter, academies)
Phase
Pupil referral unit / alternative provision, ages 5-16
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Olive Academies (6 schools)
Local authority
Cambridgeshire
Ward
West Chesterton
Constituency
Cambridge
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 October 2015 (academy converter)
URN
142378 · LAESTAB 8731109 · UKPRN 10054166
Formerly
The Cambridge Learning Base

Where these figures come from