Highfield Ely Academy
Downham Road, Ely, CB6 1BD
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 2 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED
- Headteacher
- Mr Adam Daw
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Active Learning Trust Limited
- SEN provision
- MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Ely and East Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 134
- Pupils on roll
- 134
- URN
- 143111
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01353662085
About this school
Highfield Ely Academy is a special academy in Ely. It teaches children aged 2 to 19 and has 134 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 15 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. 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 | 12 | 10 | 6 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | - | - |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | - | - |
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 13 | 18 | 13 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 Highfield Ely Academy 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 | 0% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 0% | 55.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 135 |
| 2023/24 | 124 |
| 2024/25 | 123 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 53.21%
- English as an additional language
- 11.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.84%
- Persistent absence
- 19.47%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Active Learning Trust Linc 19 - 250.0 miles
Other types · Ely
-
King's Ely0.5 miles
Independent schools · Ely
-
Highfield Littleport Academy4.3 miles
Academies · Ely
-
The Harbour School4.7 miles
Academies · Ely
-
In Toto Ed Cambridge8.9 miles
Special schools · Fordham
Other schools in Ely
- Active Learning Trust Linc 19 - 25 Other types
- Highfield Littleport Academy Academies
- The Harbour School Academies
- 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
Common questions
- What year groups does Highfield Ely Academy teach?
- Highfield Ely Academy teaches children aged 2 to 19. It is a special school in Ely.
- Who is the headteacher of Highfield Ely Academy?
- The headteacher of Highfield Ely Academy is Mr Adam Daw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Highfield Ely Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Highfield Ely Academy, 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 Highfield Ely Academy?
- Highfield Ely Academy has 134 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 19.
- Is Highfield Ely Academy full?
- Highfield Ely Academy has capacity for 134 pupils and 134 on roll (100%), 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 Highfield Ely Academy a faith school?
- No. Highfield Ely Academy has no designated religious character.
- Who runs Highfield Ely Academy?
- Highfield Ely Academy is part of THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Highfield Ely Academy have?
- The schools register lists Highfield Ely Academy's special educational needs provision as: MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty; SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Highfield Ely Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Highfield Ely Academy's absence rate?
- Highfield Ely Academy's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Highfield Ely Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Highfield Ely Academy'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 2 July 2026.