Every school inside Ely on the Department for Education's register: 5 primary schools, 1 secondary school, 2 special schools and 1 independent school, 4,529 pupils between them, with what Ofsted last said and when. Register checked 14 September 2026; Ofsted's file as at 31 August 2026.
5 primary schools are inside Ely, taking children from 3 to 11. Each card shows what Ofsted last said and when, and the number on roll at the last January census.
Ely College is the secondary school inside Ely, with a sixth form.
School
Ely CollegeSchools and lessonsGoogle rating ★ 3.5Ofsted improved significantly · Mar 20251,635 pupils01353 667763
Special schools in Ely
2 special schools and post-16 settings are inside Ely. Places are through an Education, Health and Care plan, arranged with the council rather than by application to the school.
King's Ely is independent, inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate rather than Ofsted, and sets its own admissions and fees.
School
King's ElySchools and lessonsThe Old PalaceIndependent · ISI inspected1,126 pupils01353 660700
Applying for a school place in Ely
Applications for a state school place in Ely go through Cambridgeshire County Council, whichever school you are applying to, and it is the council's catchment areas and oversubscription rules that decide which school is offered.
Reception: a child born between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023 needs an application for September 2027. Primary applications
Secondary: a child born between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 needs an application for September 2027. Secondary applications
Moving mid-year: an in-year application to the council, or to the school where it handles its own.
Catchment areas: the council's catchment area guide says which school an address is in catchment for.
The council publishes the closing dates for each round on the pages linked above; they are not repeated here so an old date cannot be shown.
School term dates 2026 to 2027
Cambridgeshire County Council's dates for the schools it maintains. Academies and foundation schools may set their own. Individual schools add their own training days, so check the school's website.
Autumn term 2026
Tuesday 1 September to Friday 23 October (39 days)
Monday 2 November to Friday 18 December (35 days)
Half term: Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October
Christmas holiday: Monday 21 December to Friday 1 January
Spring term 2027
Monday 4 January to Friday 12 February (30 days)
Monday 22 February to Thursday 25 March (24 days)
Half term: Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February
Ofsted's ungraded visit on 26 March 2025 found "Improved significantly". Ely College takes pupils from 11 to 18, with 1,635 on roll at the January 2026 census against 1,650 places, and has a sixth form. It is part of Meridian Trust. Whether it is right for a child is a visit and a conversation, not a grade; the full reports are on Ofsted's site.
How many primary schools are there in Ely?
5 primary schools are inside Ely: Isle of Ely Primary School (ages 3 to 11), The Lantern Community Primary (ages 3 to 11), Ely St John's Community Primary School (ages 4 to 11), Spring Meadow Infant School (ages 4 to 7) and Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School (ages 7 to 11). Villages around Ely have their own primaries, which are not on this page.
Which schools in Ely have a nursery class?
4 schools in Ely have nursery provision on the register: Isle of Ely Primary School, The Lantern Community Primary, Spring Meadow Infant School and King's Ely. Day nurseries and childminders are separate and are not on this page.
Is there a church school in Ely?
Ely St Mary's CofE Junior School (Church of England) and King's Ely (Church of England) are schools with a designated religious character on the register. The other schools inside Ely have none.
Which secondary school do children in Ely go to?
Ely College is the only secondary school inside Ely, with its own sixth form. Which school a child is offered depends on the council's catchment areas and its oversubscription rules, not on this page: Cambridgeshire County Council explains catchments and takes the application.
When are the school holidays in Ely?
Cambridgeshire County Council sets the term dates for its own schools; for 2026 to 2027 the terms are autumn term 2026 from Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December, spring term 2027 from Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March, summer term 2027 from Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July. Academies and foundation schools can set their own, so check the school's own website.
In Ely's listings
A card with a photograph or a star rating is one of Ely's own listings and opens its page. Browse schools and lessons in Ely.
Source: Department for Education, checked . Every school, its type, ages, pupils and capacity. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we use this data
Source: Ofsted, checked . Latest inspections and outcomes for state-funded schools. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we use this data
Schools are included when their registered address falls inside the Ely boundary. Pupil numbers are the January census on the register. This page is a snapshot taken when the site was last built and is never live.
