Downham Feoffees Primary Academy
Main Street, Little Downham, Ely, CB6 2ST
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- MERIDIAN TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Christopher Axten-Higgs
- Sponsor
- Meridian Trust
- Constituency
- Ely and East Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 150
- URN
- 144947
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01353699325
About this school
Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is a primary academy in Ely. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 150 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Downham Feoffees Primary Academy, 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
- 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 | 19 | 28 | 18 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 57% | 61% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 68% | 61% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 64% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 75% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Downham Feoffees Primary 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 | 47% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 55.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 61% | 57.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 159 |
| 2023/24 | 164 |
| 2024/25 | 149 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Downham Feoffees Primary Academy compares
Downham Feoffees Primary Academy ranked 100th of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 61% | 3.9% | 13.4% | 150 | — |
| Isle of Ely Primary School | 71% | 4.5% | 9.6% | 446 | 1.9 miles |
| Lantern Community Primary School | 54% | 4.2% | 11.3% | 448 | 2.0 miles |
| Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School | 61% | 5% | 35% | 226 | 2.3 miles |
| Spring Meadow Infant School | — | 6.5% | 37.1% | 143 | 2.4 miles |
| Millfield Primary School | 66% | 4.9% | 21.9% | 416 | 2.5 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)
- 13.42%
- English as an additional language
- 6.7%
- Overall absence
- 3.92%
- Persistent absence
- 6.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Isle of Ely Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Lantern Community Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School2.3 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Spring Meadow Infant School2.4 miles
Primary · Ely
-
Millfield Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Ely
Other schools in Ely
Downham Feoffees Primary Academy ranks 10th of the 18 ranked primary schools in Ely.
- 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
- Robert Arkenstall Primary School Primary
- Spring Meadow Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Downham Feoffees Primary Academy teach?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Ely.
- Who is the headteacher of Downham Feoffees Primary Academy?
- The headteacher of Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is Mr Christopher Axten-Higgs, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Downham Feoffees Primary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Downham Feoffees Primary 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 many pupils are at Downham Feoffees Primary Academy?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy has 150 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Downham Feoffees Primary Academy full?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 150 on roll (71%), 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 Downham Feoffees Primary Academy a faith school?
- No. Downham Feoffees Primary Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Downham Feoffees Primary Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Downham Feoffees Primary Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Is Downham Feoffees Primary Academy part of an academy trust?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy is part of MERIDIAN TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 47% in 2022/23 and 61% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Downham Feoffees Primary Academy compare with other schools in Cambridgeshire?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy ranked 100th of 195 primary schools in Cambridgeshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 43% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's absence rate?
- Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Downham Feoffees Primary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Downham Feoffees Primary 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 10 July 2026.