Rowanfield Junior School

Rowanfield Junior School has been assessed as 'good' in its recent Ofsted inspection, transitioning from its previous 'outstanding' rating from January 2014. Despite the long interval between inspections due to changes in legislation, the school has demonstrated many strengths, including strong support for pupils' emotional and educational needs. Pupils are engaged and exhibit positive behavior while participating in a range of enriching activities. However, the school is still in the process of developing a coherent curriculum across all subjects, which has resulted in some pupils not retaining the depth of knowledge they should be gaining.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate pride and enthusiasm in their school activities.
• Teachers plan a wide range of engaging experiences beyond the classroom.
• Strong focus on encouraging reading and vocabulary development.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Pupils feel safe and well cared for.
• Positive behavior and attitudes among students.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum coherence is insufficient in some subjects.
• Early reading and phonics teaching lacks consistency in Years 3 and 4.
• Inaccurate assessments hinder the progress of some SEND pupils.

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 Rowanfield Junior School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.8% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Rowanfield Junior 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 Rowanfield Junior School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% 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, 25.5% of pupils at Rowanfield Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 2024–25 Rowanfield Junior School received £5,917 and spent £6,022 for each of its 346 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £265,000 (£765 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, income was £6,776 and spending £6,867 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Rowanfield Junior School is part of Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, which runs 11 schools. The nearest others:

• Rowanfield Infant School Cheltenham
• Springbank Primary Academy Cheltenham
• Churchdown Village Infant School Gloucester
• Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy Cheltenham
• Tredington Community Primary School Tewkesbury
• Longford Park Primary Academy Gloucester
• Northway Infant School Tewkesbury
• Carrant Brook Junior School Tewkesbury
• Great Oldbury Primary Academy Stonehouse
• Badsey First School Evesham

What is Rowanfield Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rowanfield Junior School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Rowanfield Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rowanfield Junior School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Rowanfield Junior School have?

Rowanfield Junior School has 345 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rowanfield Junior School cover?

Rowanfield Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Rowanfield Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Rowanfield Junior School?

Rowanfield Junior School is at Alstone Lane, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 8HY.