School Chooser

Sutton CofE VC Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England271 pupilsElyCambridgeshire
School Chooser Score
24
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 44
Out of 100. Better than 25% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2023
Reached the expected level at 1154%England 63%
Attendance95.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families22%A bit fewer than most schools
Places91 spare271 pupils, 362 places
Pupils per teacher19.1School workforce census

Sutton CofE VC Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Ely for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 271 pupils and room for 362. About 22 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 24 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 25% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

The Brook, Sutton, Ely, CB6 2PU01353 778351sutton.cambs.sch.ukMrs Ruth Garbutt headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 January 2023, 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
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

41 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1154%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level5%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score103.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 51%51%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 43%43%20192023: 57%57%20232024: 49%49%20242025: 54%54%2025
Since 2017: +3%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CambridgeshireEngland
Pupils tested413744404355
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths54%49%57%43%67%51%60%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths5%5%9%3%14%9%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score103.0103.0105.0104.0105.0104.0106.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0103.0103.0104.0104.0101.0104.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.0103.0104.0104.0105.0104.0105.2105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard66%62%73%73%74%75%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard63%73%61%78%74%56%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)61%65%75%48%72%71%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.6-2.0-1.2+1.2
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.7-2.6-1.9-2.3
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged22%30%33%17%33%33%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged63%56%66%47%76%54%

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.

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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
22%63%
Gap 41 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
60%48%
Gap 12 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%5%
Gap 5 ptsEngland 5 pts
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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

A few spare places269 pupils for 315 places, 2024/25
85% full

About 46 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 8.0 miles away in 2025. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2025. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 8.0 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2025 Primary45458.0 milesLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll271Census January 2026
Places36275% full
Pupils from low-income families22%22% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%45 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%15 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.110 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)19%£82,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls132 / 139
White British pupils82%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 27.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.7 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (15), language and communications needs (15), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (14), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll271269255255267264
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals22%22%21%19%17%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%4%3%4%5%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%17%12%14%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%6%6%3%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school10.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils1.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.9%4.5%5.3%6.3%2.3%4.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%3.9%4.5%5.4%1.9%3.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.7%0.8%0.9%0.4%0.8%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence10.5%8.6%13.2%14.4%5.3%11.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate1.10.80.41.50.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers14.2full-time equivalent, 19 people
Pupils per teacher19.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants15.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,640
Teachers who left in the year37%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.92024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£7,565England £7,738. Total £2.0m
Income per pupil£7,643England £7,697. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,248England £3,480
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £83k, £308 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£21kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,565spent 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 m10212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate44 per 1,000 people52% lower than the England average
Typical house price£346,500East Cambridgeshire

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

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy1.2 miles114Good 202344Compare
Robert Arkenstall Primary SchoolCouncil2.7 miles269Good 202236Compare
Wilburton CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.5 miles117Good 202330Compare
The Rackham Church of England Primary School and Pre-SchoolChurch of England3.7 miles307No overall grade 20246Compare
Earith Primary SchoolAcademy4.3 miles101Good 202246Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Sutton CofE VC Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats25%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 24 is 22 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 47 · highest 93100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 24 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 24% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 44. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.12
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 41 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.7 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.09
DfE progress measure; 41 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.03
2024/25; 238 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.10
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 41 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Sutton CofE VC Primary School a good school?

The figures are weak. Sutton CofE VC Primary School scores 24 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 25% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 44, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Sutton CofE VC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Sutton CofE VC Primary School good at its last full inspection on 10 January 2023.

How good are Sutton CofE VC Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 54% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Sutton CofE VC Primary School have?

271 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 362 places, so it is 75% full.

Is Sutton CofE VC Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2025 the last place went to a child living 8.0 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

What is attendance like at Sutton CofE VC Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Sutton CofE VC Primary School?

The average class had 27.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
The Brook, Sutton, Ely, CB6 2PU
Telephone
01353 778351
Website
www.sutton.cambs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Ruth Garbutt
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Ely
Local authority
Cambridgeshire
Ward
Sutton
Constituency
Ely and East Cambridgeshire
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
URN
110802 · LAESTAB 8733052 · UKPRN 10070510

Where these figures come from