Ofsted has placed Orchard Park Community Primary School in special measures. Safeguarding standards were not met and three areas need urgent improvement.
Ofsted has placed Orchard Park Community Primary School in special measures. The inspectors found that its safeguarding standards are not met and that it is “failing to provide an acceptable standard of education”.
The school is on Ringfort Road in Orchard Park, on the city’s northern edge between King’s Hedges and the A14. Orchard Park is part of South Cambridgeshire district, but the school has a Cambridge address and the county council runs it.
The inspection took place on 7 and 8 July 2026. The report was published on 18 September, according to the school’s Ofsted page.
What the inspectors found
The report uses Ofsted’s new report cards, which grade each area on a five-point scale from “exceptional” to “urgent improvement”. Orchard Park received no grade above “needs attention”.
| Area | Grade |
|---|---|
| Achievement | Urgent improvement |
| Curriculum and teaching | Urgent improvement |
| Leadership and governance | Urgent improvement |
| Attendance and behaviour | Needs attention |
| Early years | Needs attention |
| Inclusion | Needs attention |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Needs attention |
| Safeguarding | Not met |
On safeguarding, the report says “there have been delays in responding to safeguarding concerns”. It also says leaders cannot be sure that pupils “receive the help they need at the right time”.
The inspectors singled out pupils placed in alternative provision away from the school. The school uses three such providers, two of which are unregistered. The report says leaders “are not able to demonstrate a secure oversight of these placements”.
It adds that governors knew about the safeguarding concerns, but “these weaknesses were not addressed quickly enough”. The school “is not able to secure the necessary improvements without significant external support”.
The report does find some strengths. Staff know how to report a concern, and pupils can name trusted adults. Children settle well in the early years, and phonics results show “signs of improvement”. Pupils are “generally polite and respectful”, and many speak well of their relationships with staff.
Results fell sharply after 2023
The report’s own data shows how quickly Year 6 results dropped. In 2022/23, 76% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, above the national average of 60%. In each of the next two years only 41% did, against 61% and then 62% nationally.
Maths was weakest: 48% of pupils met the expected standard in both 2023/24 and 2024/25, against a national figure of 73% and 74%.
The report notes that the school has “received substantial support from the local authority”, but that leaders “have not used this support well enough”. A new headteacher took up the post in September 2024.
The school has 192 pupils and room for 232, according to the report. Almost 40% of its pupils (39.64%) have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, against 26.3% nationally.
At its previous inspection, in March 2022, Ofsted said Orchard Park “continues to be a good school”.
What it means for you
If your child goes to Orchard Park, the school stays open. Special measures means Ofsted will return for monitoring inspections to check progress. Until the next one, the school may not appoint early career teachers, the report says.
- Read the report yourself. It is free on the school’s Ofsted page, and the school links it from its own website.
- Tell Ofsted what you think. Parents can give their view at any time through Ofsted Parent View.
- Raise a safeguarding worry straight away. Speak to the school’s designated safeguarding lead, or contact Cambridgeshire County Council’s children’s services.
The school’s website carried no statement on the report when we checked on 28 September. We will add a response from the school or the county council if one is published.
If you are choosing a school for next year, our guide to secondary school places for 2027 covers the deadlines, and term dates are listed separately.
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