South Ely
Summary
South Ely (E02003735) is part of Cambridgeshire local authority (view on map). South Ely has an approximate population of 8,500 people, of which 17% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: further from a major town or city".
South Ely neighbours Littleport, Little Downham & Sutton, North Ely, Haddenham, Stretham & Witchford, Soham, Lakenheath, and Beck Row, Eriswell & Barton Mills.
Headlines
- 11% of children are living in low-income families, ranking it among the 10% least deprived regarding income deprivation among children in England – see more.
- 9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
- 7% of pupils are receiving SEN support, placing it in the bottom 10% of all areas in England – see more.
Guidance and data sources
Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.
The data displayed is sourced from:
Deprivation
South Ely is the 4th least deprived area in Cambridgeshire (out of 76) with 11% of children living in low-income families, compared to 24% across Cambridgeshire and 38% nationally.
State-funded pupil characteristics
Information acquired from the school census.
Free school meals
In South Ely, 9% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 23% in Cambridgeshire and 27% nationally.
Contents
Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals
Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals
| % in South Ely | % in Cambridgeshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible for free school meals | 9% | 23% | 27% |
| Not eligible for free school meals | 91% | 77% | 73% |
Special educational needs
In South Ely, 12% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 19% in Cambridgeshire, and 19% nationally.
This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.
Contents
Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools
Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools
| % in South Ely | % in Cambridgeshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No special educational needs | 88% | 81% | 81% |
| Receiving special educational needs support | 7% | 13% | 14% |
| With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) | 5% | 6% | 5% |
Ethnicity
In South Ely, 13% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 22% in Cambridgeshire, and 33% nationally.
Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.
Contents
Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups
Table
| % in South Ely | % in Cambridgeshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 81% | 78% | 67% |
| Asian | 3% | 7% | 14% |
| Black | 2% | 3% | 7% |
| Mixed | 7% | 8% | 7% |
| Other | – | 2% | 3% |
| Not known | 6% | 2% | 2% |
English as an additional language
The percentage of pupils in South Ely with English as an additional language is 10%, compared with 17% in Cambridgeshire, and 22% nationally.
Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.
Contents
Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language
Table
| % in South Ely | % in Cambridgeshire | % in England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Known or believed to be other than English | 10% | 17% | 22% |
| Known or believed to be English | 88% | 83% | 78% |
Provider information
Jump to:
Registered childcare providers
South Ely has 7 registered childcare providers.
| Type | Number in South Ely |
|---|---|
| All childcare providers | 7 |
| Childminders | 2 |
| Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care | 5 |
In South Ely, there have been 2 full inspections of childcare providers since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Under the renewed education inspection framework, childcare providers are evaluated on the following areas:
- Achievement
- Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
- Children's welfare and wellbeing
- Curriculum and teaching
- Inclusion
- Leadership and governance
We use a 5-point scale to grade different areas of a provider’s work. The evaluation scale for each evaluation area, other than safeguarding, is:
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
Achievement: 1 was graded 'strong standard' (of 1).
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).
Children's welfare and well-being: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).
Curriculum and teaching: 1 was graded 'expected standard' (of 1).
Inclusion: 2 were graded 'strong standard' (of 2).
Leadership and governance: 2 were graded 'expected standard' (of 2).
The tables below show the outcomes of inspections of childcare providers in South Ely. The tables are split by provider type, and show the number of inspections that have taken place for each area, and the outcomes of those inspections.
Contents
All childcare
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Childminders
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achievement | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Children's welfare and well-being | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Curriculum and teaching | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Inclusion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leadership and governance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Full day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Sessional day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Out-of-school day care
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
Other childcare
| Number of inspections | Exceptional | Strong standard | Expected standard | Needs attention | Urgent improvement |
|---|
State-funded schools
South Ely has 1 state-funded school.
| Type | Number in South Ely |
|---|---|
| All state-funded schools | 1 |
| Nursery schools | 0 |
| Primary and all-through schools | 1 |
| Secondary and all-through schools | 0 |
| Special schools | 0 |
| Registered alternative provision | 0 |
There have been no inspections of schools in South Ely since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.
Data sources: