Robert Arkenstall Primary School
Camping Close, High Street, Ely, CB6 3UA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Kate Bonney
- Constituency
- Ely and East Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 269
- URN
- 110635
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01353740253
About this school
Robert Arkenstall Primary School is a community primary school in Ely. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 269 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Robert Arkenstall Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 May 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 40 | 37 | 36 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 41% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 8% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 59% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 59% | 58% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 62% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.20 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Robert Arkenstall Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cambridgeshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 41% | 55.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 286 |
| 2023/24 | 281 |
| 2024/25 | 286 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Robert Arkenstall Primary School compares
Robert Arkenstall Primary School ranked 143rd of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 6.2% | 18.5% | 269 | — |
| Wilburton CofE Primary School | 50% | 11.4% | 26.5% | 117 | 1.2 miles |
| Sutton CofE VC Primary School | 54% | 4.9% | 22.3% | 271 | 2.7 miles |
| Stretham Community Primary School | 63% | 5.3% | 23.9% | 185 | 3.2 miles |
| The Rackham Church of England Primary School and Pre-School | 38% | 6.4% | 26.9% | 307 | 3.2 miles |
| Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School | 100% | 6% | 13.7% | 114 | 3.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.53%
- English as an additional language
- 8.7%
- Overall absence
- 6.18%
- Persistent absence
- 14.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wilburton CofE Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Sutton CofE VC Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Stretham Community Primary School3.2 miles
Primary · Ely
- 3.2 miles
-
Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School3.8 miles
Primary · Ely
Other schools in Ely
Robert Arkenstall Primary School ranks 16th of the 18 ranked primary schools in Ely.
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy Primary
- Ely St John's Community Primary School Primary
- Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School Primary
- Fordham CofE Primary School Primary
- Isle of Ely Primary School Primary
- Isleham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Lantern Community Primary School Primary
- Little Thetford CofE Primary School Primary
- Littleport Community Primary School Primary
- Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Millfield Primary School Primary
- Spring Meadow Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Robert Arkenstall Primary School teach?
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ely.
- Who is the headteacher of Robert Arkenstall Primary School?
- The headteacher of Robert Arkenstall Primary School is Mrs Kate Bonney, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Robert Arkenstall Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Robert Arkenstall Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Robert Arkenstall Primary School?
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School has 269 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Robert Arkenstall Primary School full?
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School has capacity for 300 pupils and 269 on roll (90%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Robert Arkenstall Primary School a faith school?
- No. Robert Arkenstall Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Robert Arkenstall Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Robert Arkenstall Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Robert Arkenstall Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 73% in 2022/23 and 53% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Robert Arkenstall Primary School compare with other schools in Cambridgeshire?
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School ranked 143rd of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 36% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Robert Arkenstall Primary School's absence rate?
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Robert Arkenstall Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Robert Arkenstall Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.