St Mary's Church of England Infant School

St Mary's Church of England Infant School is performing well, achieving a 'Good' grade overall during its first inspection in 14 years. The school prioritizes pupils' personal development and fosters a caring community where respect and kindness are emphasized. With a strong leadership team, the school successfully aims to cultivate resilience and effective communication among its students, encouraging them to take on leadership roles and learn about democracy.

Strengths

• Strong leadership with high staff morale.
• A caring ethos based on Christian values.
• Effective reading programs that improve pupils' fluency.
• High-quality curriculum designed with clear learning steps.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Pupils display excellent behaviour and manners.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack clarity on essential knowledge for pupils.
• Subject leaders need to better assess quality of education.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Mary's Church of England Infant School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.6% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Infant School had 23.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 10.2% of pupils at St Mary's Church of England Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Mary's Church of England Infant School received £6,722 and spent £6,855 for each of its 177 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £35,000 (£199 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

What is St Mary's Church of England Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Mary's Church of England Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St Mary's Church of England Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Mary's Church of England Infant School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St Mary's Church of England Infant School have?

St Mary's Church of England Infant School has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Mary's Church of England Infant School cover?

St Mary's Church of England Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is St Mary's Church of England Infant School?

St Mary's Church of England Infant School is at Bouncers Lane, Prestbury, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 5JB.