Melbourn Village College
Royston, SG8 6EF · Cambridgeshire · secondary school
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28th of 34 secondary schools in Cambridgeshire we can score, 35 in total — the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — 3.4/10 against 878 of them, against 3.5/10 nationally. So this is not simply a reflection of who attends. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.
How this is worked out
| Measure | Percentile | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5+ English & maths 2025/26 | 44.4 · 48 | 46% | 2.23 |
| Progress 8 2023/24 | -0.48 · 17 | 38% | 0.64 |
| Attainment 8 2025/26 | 43.7 · 38 | 15% | 0.58 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Melbourn Village College overview
How it's doing
In 2024/25, 37.6% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 42.3, against a national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.48 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did worse than those nationally who started from the same place. Narrow the comparison to the schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — a tougher field — and it places 1.9 out of 10 among them, against 2.7 out of 10 nationally.
Beyond the classroom
Pupils can join the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Music and Drama clubs, and the Mandarin Excellence Programme. Sports include tennis, football, and water polo. Arts provision features a school musical and one-to-one music tuition. Trips include skiing, professional basketball games, language immersion in China, GCSE History visits to Germany, theatre visits, and bowling.
Getting in
The published school roll is 559 pupils against a stated capacity of 740. These whole-school figures do not establish entry-year vacancies or the likelihood of an offer. Confirm entry-year availability and admissions criteria with the school or local authority.
Worth asking on a visit
How does the school support pupils to close the gap between their Progress 8 score and the national benchmark? What specific support is available for students aiming to improve their Attainment 8 scores? How does the Mandarin Excellence Programme integrate with the broader curriculum?
What Ofsted said about Melbourn Village College
Overview
The report states that the school “no longer requires significant improvement” following rapid changes in leadership. While pupils are “proud of their school” and behaviour is “Good”, the quality of education, personal development, and leadership are judged as “Requires improvement”. The inspection highlights that while many pupils achieve well, experiences are not consistently strong across all subjects or for all groups.
Strengths
- Pupils “behave well”, knowing expectations and responding positively to staff, with learning “rarely disrupted”.
- In established subjects, staff deliver lessons well, using “skilful” questioning to probe thinking and address misconceptions.
- Reading is a “clear priority”, with early readers identified quickly and receiving “effective support” to become fluent.
- Pupils in the specially resourced provision for autism, ‘The Cabin’, are “well supported” and “achieve well” due to targeted help.
- The trust and school leadership have made “rapid improvements” that are making a “clear difference” to pupil experiences.
Areas to improve
- Staff must ensure they “check pupils’ understanding effectively” so all receive the right support to make secure progress.
- The school should ensure needs of pupils with SEND are “identified promptly” so they receive appropriate support to achieve well.
- Leaders must strengthen knowledge of internal and external support services to ensure pupils and families receive “appropriate and timely help”.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective”, with staff well trained to recognise risks and report concerns quickly, though the school needs to better understand the full range of support available to families.
Results over time
Attainment 8, the years we hold.
| Year | Attainment 8 |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 40.7 |
| 2024/25 | 42.3 |
| 2025/26 | 43.7 |
| England | 44.9 |
Source: DfE Explore Education Statistics. “England” is the median of the 3,682 state schools in England we hold a 2025/26 figure for — a school-level median, not the DfE's pupil-weighted national figure.
Your offer chance
—Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.
Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.
Next dates
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2026
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2027
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2027
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2028
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