Find the best primary schools in South Cambridgeshire. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
South Cambridgeshire has 61 primary schools, all in Cambridgeshire council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 61, 22 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any South Cambridgeshire primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Histon and Impington Park Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Histon and Impington Brook Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| William Westley Church of England VC Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Babraham CofE (VC) Primary School | Church of England | 4.5 / 5 |
| Elsworth CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Meldreth Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Dry Drayton CofE (C) Primary School | Church of England | 4.3 / 5 |
There are 61 primary schools in South Cambridgeshire. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in South Cambridgeshire, that council is Cambridgeshire. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 61 primary schools in South Cambridgeshire, 22 have a religious character: 21 Church of England and 1 Church of England/Methodist. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Histon and Impington Park Primary School (4.8), Histon and Impington Brook Primary School (4.8), William Westley Church of England VC Primary School (4.5), Babraham CofE (VC) Primary School (4.5) and Elsworth CofE VA Primary School (4.4). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 61 schools here, 60 have enough published data for a rating.
| Church of England |
| 4.3 / 5 |
| Stapleford Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| The Bellbird Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Oakington CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Barton CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| Swavesey Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hauxton Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Hatton Park Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bar Hill Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Cottenham Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Bourn CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Milton Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Northstowe Learning Community | all-through | 4.0 / 5 |
| Thriplow CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| Linton CofE Infant School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Foxton Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Linton Heights Junior School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Fulbourn Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Monkfield Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Great and Little Shelford CofE (Aided) Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Great Wilbraham CofE Primary Academy | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Caldecote Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Fen Drayton Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Jeavons Wood Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| The Vine Inter-Church Primary School | Church of England/Methodist | 3.7 / 5 |
| Pathfinder CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Teversham CofE VA Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Girton Glebe Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| The Icknield Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Meadow Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Great Abington Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Waterbeach Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Pendragon Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Coton Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| Duxford Church of England Community Primary School | Church of England | 3.5 / 5 |
| The Newton Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Willingham Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Marleigh Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Haslingfield Endowed Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Meridian Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Hardwick and Cambourne Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Trumpington Meadows Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Melbourn Primary School | Mixed | 3.3 / 5 |
| Fen Ditton Primary School | Mixed | 3.1 / 5 |
| Bassingbourn Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
| Petersfield CofE Aided Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Steeple Morden CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 3.0 / 5 |
| Gamlingay Village Primary | Mixed | 2.7 / 5 |
| Barrington CofE VC Primary School | Church of England | 2.6 / 5 |
| Fowlmere Primary School | Mixed | 2.6 / 5 |
| Over Primary School | Mixed | 2.5 / 5 |
| Orchard Park Community Primary School | Mixed | 2.4 / 5 |
| Harston and Newton Primary School | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.