The King's (The Cathedral) School
Park Road, Peterborough, PE1 2UE
- Phase
- All-through
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE KING'S (THE CATHEDRAL) SCHOOL, PETERBOROUGH
- Headteacher
- Mr John Harrison
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peterborough
- Constituency
- Peterborough
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,150
- Pupils on roll
- 1,256
- URN
- 136398
- Local authority
- Peterborough
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01733751541
About this school
The King's (The Cathedral) School is a Church of England all-through academy in Peterborough. It teaches children aged 7 to 18 and has 1,256 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The King's (The Cathedral) 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- 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 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 76% | 87% | 80% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 24% | 13% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 88% | 93% | 100% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 100% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 93% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 110.0 | 110.0 | 110.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
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.
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 150 | 176 | 147 |
| Attainment 8 score | 64.2 | 61.9 | 63.2 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.64 +0.41 to +0.87 | +0.73 +0.52 to +0.95 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 79% | 69.3% | 75.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 95% | 84.7% | 89.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 28% | 23.9% | 40.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.7 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The King's (The Cathedral) 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 | Peterborough average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76% | 52.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 87% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 80% | 58.6% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | Peterborough average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64.2 | 39.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 61.9 | 38.2 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 63.2 | 39.2 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,242 |
| 2023/24 | 1,251 |
| 2024/25 | 1,261 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The King's (The Cathedral) School compares
The King's (The Cathedral) School ranked 1st of 13 secondary schools in Peterborough for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 95% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 63.2 | 5.1% | 13.3% | 1,256 | — |
| Thomas Deacon Academy | 39.1 | 9.3% | 37.6% | 2,256 | 0.4 miles |
| Hampton College | 44.5 | 7.8% | 25.3% | 1,608 | 3.4 miles |
| Queen's Drive Infant School | — | 6.5% | 29.8% | 208 | 0.3 miles |
| The Beeches Primary School | — | 5.7% | 44.9% | 619 | 0.4 miles |
| Greater Peterborough UTC | 38.2 | 9.1% | 37.3% | 464 | 0.4 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)
- 13.3%
- English as an additional language
- 10%
- Overall absence
- 5.11%
- Persistent absence
- 17.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Thomas Deacon Academy0.4 miles
All-through · Peterborough
-
Hampton College3.4 miles
All-through · Peterborough
-
Queen's Drive Infant School0.3 miles
Primary · Peterborough
-
The Beeches Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Peterborough
-
Greater Peterborough UTC0.4 miles
Secondary · Peterborough
Other schools in Peterborough
The King's (The Cathedral) School ranks 8th of the 78 ranked primary schools in Peterborough, and The King's (The Cathedral) School ranks 1st of the 15 ranked secondary schools in Peterborough.
- Hampton College All-through
- Thomas Deacon Academy All-through
- Caverstede Nursery School Nursery
- Alderman Jacobs School Primary
- All Saints' CofE (Aided) Primary School Primary
- Baston CE Primary School Primary
- Bishop Creighton Academy Primary
- Braybrook Primary Academy Primary
- Brewster Avenue Infant School Primary
- Castor CofE Primary School Primary
- Coates Primary School Primary
- Deeping St James Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The King's (The Cathedral) School teach?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School teaches children aged 7 to 18. It is an all-through school in Peterborough.
- Who is the headteacher of The King's (The Cathedral) School?
- The headteacher of The King's (The Cathedral) School is Mr John Harrison, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The King's (The Cathedral) School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The King's (The Cathedral) 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 The King's (The Cathedral) School?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School has 1,256 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 18.
- Is The King's (The Cathedral) School full?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School has capacity for 1,150 pupils and 1,256 on roll (109%), so it is at or above 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 The King's (The Cathedral) School a faith school?
- Yes. The King's (The Cathedral) School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Peterborough.
- Is The King's (The Cathedral) School a selective school?
- No. The King's (The Cathedral) School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is The King's (The Cathedral) School part of an academy trust?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School is part of THE KING'S (THE CATHEDRAL) SCHOOL, PETERBOROUGH. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have The King's (The Cathedral) School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 76% in 2022/23 and 80% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does The King's (The Cathedral) School compare with other schools in Peterborough?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School ranked 1st of 13 secondary schools in Peterborough for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 95% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is The King's (The Cathedral) School's absence rate?
- The King's (The Cathedral) School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The King's (The Cathedral) School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The King's (The Cathedral) 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 7 July 2026.