Fordham CofE Primary School
Isleham Road, Fordham, Ely, CB7 5NL
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Miss Deborah Rankin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Ely
- Constituency
- Ely and East Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 413
- URN
- 110788
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01638720296
About this school
Fordham CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Ely. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 413 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 59 | 61 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 54% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 3% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 67% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 72% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 70% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
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 Fordham CofE 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 | 68% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 55.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 418 |
| 2023/24 | 414 |
| 2024/25 | 414 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Fordham CofE Primary School compares
Fordham CofE Primary School ranked 98th of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 4.9% | 11.6% | 413 | — |
| Isleham Church of England Primary School | 53% | 5.3% | 11% | 201 | 2.1 miles |
| St Andrew's CofE Primary School | 75% | 5.5% | 16.3% | 461 | 2.6 miles |
| The Weatheralls Primary School | 44% | 7.7% | 30.9% | 342 | 2.9 miles |
| Exning Primary School | 75% | 4.7% | 18.3% | 223 | 3.4 miles |
| Burwell Village College (Primary) | 66% | 4.3% | 21% | 374 | 3.7 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)
- 11.59%
- English as an additional language
- 5.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.9%
- Persistent absence
- 9.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Isleham Church of England Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Ely
-
St Andrew's CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Ely
-
The Weatheralls Primary School2.9 miles
Primary · Soham
-
Exning Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Newmarket
-
Burwell Village College (Primary)3.7 miles
Primary · Cambridge
Other schools in Ely
Fordham CofE Primary School ranks 9th 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
- 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
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School Primary
- Spring Meadow Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Fordham CofE Primary School teach?
- Fordham CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ely.
- Who is the headteacher of Fordham CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of Fordham CofE Primary School is Miss Deborah Rankin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Fordham CofE Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Fordham CofE 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 big is Fordham CofE Primary School?
- Fordham CofE Primary School has 413 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Fordham CofE Primary School full?
- Fordham CofE Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 413 on roll (98%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Fordham CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Fordham CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Ely.
- Does Fordham CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Fordham CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Fordham CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Fordham CofE Primary School rank locally?
- Fordham CofE Primary School ranked 98th of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Fordham CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- Fordham CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Fordham CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Fordham CofE 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.