Northstowe Learning Community
Stirling Road, Northstowe, Cambridge, CB24 1DJ
- Phase
- All-through
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- MERIDIAN TRUST
- Headteacher
- Dr Claire Mills
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Meridian Trust
- Constituency
- St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 2,830
- Pupils on roll
- 920
- URN
- 148128
- Local authority
- Cambridgeshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01223343800
About this school
Northstowe Learning Community is an all-through academy in Cambridge. It teaches children aged 4 to 19 and has 920 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Northstowe Learning Community, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 92 | 114 |
| Attainment 8 score | 51.9 | 51.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.30 -0.01 to +0.60 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 54.3% | 55.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72.8% | 70.2% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 51.1% | 45.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.7 |
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 Northstowe Learning Community 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 | — | 38.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 51.9 | 38 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.4 | 36.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 471 |
| 2023/24 | 622 |
| 2024/25 | 772 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Northstowe Learning Community compares
Northstowe Learning Community ranked 13th of 34 secondary schools in Cambridgeshire for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.4 | 8.9% | 20.8% | 920 | — |
| The Martin Bacon Academy | 0.9 | 8.6% | 43.6% | 152 | 0.1 miles |
| Pathfinder CofE Primary School | — | 5.4% | 21.7% | 471 | 0.7 miles |
| Hatton Park Primary School | — | 4.3% | 10.6% | 380 | 0.9 miles |
| Oakington CofE Primary School | — | 4.2% | 27.5% | 98 | 1.4 miles |
| Willingham Primary School | — | 4.8% | 25.5% | 364 | 2.2 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)
- 20.83%
- English as an additional language
- 13.6%
- Overall absence
- 8.91%
- Persistent absence
- 21.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Martin Bacon Academy0.1 miles
Free Schools · Northstowe
-
Pathfinder CofE Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Cambridge
-
Hatton Park Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Cambridge
-
Oakington CofE Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Cambridge
-
Willingham Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Cambridge
Other schools in Cambridge
Northstowe Learning Community ranks 13th of the 17 ranked secondary schools in Cambridge.
- Brunswick Nursery School Nursery
- Colleges Nursery School Nursery
- Histon Early Years Centre Nursery
- Homerton Early Years Centre Nursery
- King's Hedges Nursery School Nursery
- The Fields Nursery School Nursery
- Arbury Primary School Primary
- Babraham CofE (VC) Primary School Primary
- Bar Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Barrington CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Barton CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Bewick Bridge Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Northstowe Learning Community teach?
- Northstowe Learning Community teaches children aged 4 to 19. It is an all-through school in Cambridge.
- Who is the headteacher of Northstowe Learning Community?
- The headteacher of Northstowe Learning Community is Dr Claire Mills, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Northstowe Learning Community been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Northstowe Learning Community, 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 Northstowe Learning Community?
- Northstowe Learning Community has 920 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 19.
- Is Northstowe Learning Community full?
- Northstowe Learning Community has capacity for 2,830 pupils and 920 on roll (33%), 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 Northstowe Learning Community a faith school?
- No. Northstowe Learning Community has no designated religious character.
- Is Northstowe Learning Community a selective school?
- No. Northstowe Learning Community is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Northstowe Learning Community have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Northstowe Learning Community as having nursery classes.
- Is Northstowe Learning Community part of an academy trust?
- Northstowe Learning Community 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 Northstowe Learning Community's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 51.9 in 2023/24 and 51.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Northstowe Learning Community compare with other schools in Cambridgeshire?
- Northstowe Learning Community ranked 13th of 34 secondary schools in Cambridgeshire for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 12% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Northstowe Learning Community's absence rate?
- Northstowe Learning Community's overall absence rate is 8.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Northstowe Learning Community's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Northstowe Learning Community'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.