Year 9 entry to Cambridge secondary

[MoronikaFaceache]

Hi all,
just after some views and advice regarding in year transfer to start year 9 at a Cambridge secondary.
We are in London at the moment but moving to Milton in July.
There are a few schools that have started handling their own admissions for in year applications out of main entry point: Impington, Chesterton, Parkside.
Applications opened 6 May. So we have applied for all but Chesterton, as they are full, didn’t even get a form.
For schools that have to go through Cambridge Council, so we will be applying for St Bede’s, Comberton and Cottenham. Deadline is 9 June.
We know that the many of the local state schools are highly regarded but unfortunately also extremely oversubscribed.
So we are also considering an independent school, if we don’t get offers elsewhere.
Perse has 20 on waiting list, St Mary’s and Heritage probably waiting list. Sancton Wood has places.
If anyone has any feedback on any of the schools mentioned, we’d appreciate it. Particularly St Mary’s and Sancton Wood, as that seems most likely if no state school offer. Although DD would much prefer coed setting.
We have seen several mentions on Mumsnet re Sancton Wood, but very mixed, not sure what to make of it.

TIA

@DeafLeppard absolutely agree. We are not especially keen to send DD to an independent school nor do we consider them all superior to a state academy. Just fortunate that it’s an option. It’s more a backup if we don’t get any offers from our preferences - which sounds increasingly unlikely from the feedback here. A guaranteed place would be more reassuring than waiting for the council to allocate somewhere, that would seem a total lottery.

Well this has made me feel utterly awful as someone with a child starting there in September.

I think the number 2 bus goes from Milton and stops pretty near on cherry hunton road

Every child is different @Sprookjesbos even the best schools has children enduring awful experiences.

Can they change to park n ride from city centre and go straight near Addenbrookes plus short walk to schools?

Hi, my daughter is in year 13 at St Mary’s - been there since year 9 - we have been very happy with it! It’s academically excellent while grounded and so well organised. Every decision they make feels well thought out and the school is a fabulous environment. My daughter has thrived. Lots of girls join in year 9
and the school integrated them so well, she has made great friendships with some girls who joins in year 9 too. My sons went to Sancton wood, it’s a good school, excellent pastorally, not massively academic though. My sons have been happy there though. However, If I had 3 daughters I would go St. Mary’s every day of the week!!

I know children who have done extremely well at North Cambridge Academy. One at prestigious university now and another at Hills Road. It caters for children of all abilities from what I can see and is great for enrichment opportunities. It also has a relatively new Head who seems well regarded and has just had a Good ofsted.
You will always get those who will wring their hands at the catchment area as there is a higher level of disadvantage than other Cambridge schools. I'd go as far as saying it is on the up and doing pretty damn well at the moment.

I know that this thread is from a while ago now, but I couldn't just leave it without saying what utter nonsense this comment about the Heritage School is! We have children at Heritage and are a family that would have 'fitted in' at any of the other schools you note - one doctor parent, the other lawyer - thoroughly normal, high achieving kids. Entirely non-religious. The idea that girls are pushed down is just so weird and defamatory . In fact I am always struck that the girls (all the pupils really) in the senior school are just thoroughly impressive, self-confidence, kind, bright young people, and I wish I'd been like that as a teenager. Equally the idea that families have to sign something to say that there will be no screens at home - just nonsense. My kids do lots of their homework on the computer! It's just that they also learn how to handwrite (which many schools don't these days). It's true that there is talk about screen-free childhood, but that is catching on across the country now.

Heritage School is not for everyone and if you want all lessons to be on iPads or Chromebooks as they were when we observed the Stephen Perse (which was so uninspiring to us - we literally saw whole classes of children in lessons all with headphones on, the lesson delivered that way!) then it definitely isn't for you. But I couldn't let the nonsense spouted slide and this school has been absolutely incredible for my children. The curriculum is designed to nurture children's curiosity in a way that I have never observed anywhere else. It's not sparkly; it's just traditional rigorous education.

If this isn't for you and you're more taken by the offerings of other places, then naturally it's horses for courses - but I wouldn't want anyone to read the above and miss out on what is just a really remarkable, different educational experience that nevertheless (or in fact, because of this) still delivers the second best GCSE results in Cambridge (after the Perse; but without the horrendous mental health record of that place). This is longer than I meant it to be but if you're looking for a unique, high-achieving place to nurture kids' curiosity, you couldn't do better than Heritage.

@changethestory1 - please note that the comment about Heritage which you describe as “utter nonsense” was originally made by another poster, at 18/05/2025 22:20.

I don’t know enough about it to have a strong opinion: I was reacting to that comment.

People unfamiliar with Cambridge: if you’re wondering about travelling to school in the rush hour it might be helpful to know that Heritage, Stephen Perse and St Mary’s are very close together geographically, with The Leys just on the other side of Trumpington Road. At least some of them run minibuses from the Trumpington Park and Ride in the morning, and there are other dedicated buses after school. I’m not exactly sure where they go, I’ve just seen them while I was waiting for a service bus.

Those four schools are all within walking distance of the main railway station and a brisk walk from the main bus station in town.

@MoronikaFaceache , have you settled on a place yet?

@IliveInCambridge Not quite. We’ve been offered a place at St Mary’s, which my daughter is pretty happy about.
Waiting list only at Parkside and CCC, but no surprise there.
Have to wait until second week of July to hear from IVC, and other state options.
The suspense!

Hello, we are considering moving to Cambridge and would also need to make an in-year application for year 9 (not this year though). The whole process sounds daunting though. Have you heard whether any of your applications were successful? Hoping that you were!

Oh sorry, have seen you posted an update since I last read the thread!

Hi @scattycat22 no worries.
It’s definitely not so straightforward. Which area would you be moving to? A number of state academies now administer their own admissions which I guess is a good thing, as you then have more than just 3 options.

@MoronikaFaceache - we have a house in the Abbey area which we would move back to, at least initially. The catchment school is Coleridge Community College, which I have read mixed reviews about. Some people seem to say it's on the up and others say the opposite! It takes direct applications for in-year applications. I would imagine we would apply to as many as possible that are feasible to travel to as there's no guarantee that any of them will have a spot! We would be moving from abroad so it will be a huge change for us and the uncertainty is daunting!

I live in the same area, coleridge is not suited to my ds who doesn't have friends in primary . I know many dc who go there (from catchment) and see them thriving. DH's mates ds got into hills road 6th form from coleridge. other than that, you can try for neatherhall also.

It's one person's experience. There are also plenty of people who have a great time there, perform well academically and go onto Hills Road Sixth Form. Please don't take one negative view as being the norm.

Have you been around Cottenham (not just on an open evening)? Do you know about the way that the Astrea Group teach? It's a very particular style and if you haven't done your research on it I would strongly advise you take a good look, and take a tour of the school in school hours.

@changethestory1 That may be true but the state secondaries are all over subscribed so people living in villages don’t really have a true choice - it’s catchment school or nothing basically!

@WheelySquirrel Yep, certainly describes our experience so far!

Yes, it wasn't our first choice. You can't just choose your school unless you can afford to move or afford to go private. What are you suggesting we do?

Impington is excellent. If you can get a place there I would highly recommend it. I would avoid Cottenham due to the trust that run the school. IVC follow an IB programme, which is rare in state schools.

Just an update: received letter from IVC and we didn’t get an offer as Year 9 is full. Pretty disappointed to say the least, but not totally unexpected. 😔

@WheelySquirrel I would be doing everything in my power to move or go private (including remortgaging if you need - and I would never ever usually suggest this but definitely if the alternative is Cottenham), rent somewhere near somewhere else, get into a far away but non-Astrea school, homeschool until a place comes up somewhere else (not possible for everyone but if you work even hybrid then a secondary child doesn’t need a seven hour day of homeschool), use an online school… Basically any of those rather than Cottenham!

St Bedes is a joke. The 'church' criteria is a useful way of keeping it 'exclusive' - and I say this as someone who got our child in by handily having an ex fil as a canon (many years ago) and neighbours who have got their kids in by being excepionally wealthy.
SEN support is dire and the discipline is appalling.

Also HR is allegedly being investigated by ofsted currently due to the appalling pressure put on students to academically achieve to keep it at the top. The mental health of young people who go there is secondary to their need to be super exclusive. Two of mine went there and one left with dreadful mh issues.