Banks Lane Infant School, Stockport
Banks Lane Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Stockport. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Stockport (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Banks Lane Infant School in detail
Banks Lane Infant School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, ukulele and gardening.
The school runs a breakfast club, from £3 per session.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Banks Lane Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 77 families put Banks Lane Infant School as their first choice and 173 named it as one of their preferences, for 86 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Banks Lane Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Banks Lane Infant School are Banks Lane Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 86% reading, 87% maths); St Thomas' Church of England Primary School Stockport (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 80% reading, 33% maths); St George's Church of England Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 91% reading, 86% maths); and Vernon Park Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 64% reading, 64% maths).
Banks Lane Junior SchoolSt Thomas' Church of England Primary School StockportSt George's Church of England Primary SchoolVernon Park Primary School
Who goes there
6.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%), Asian (7%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 32 pupils (11.7%) received SEN support and 6 (2.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Banks Lane Infant School had 17 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stockport Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Maitland Street (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Banks Lane Infant School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Banks Lane Infant School issued 3 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Banks Lane Infant School excels at developing well-rounded children who are kind, caring and understand important values. Pupils receive a broad, ambitious education with plenty of high-quality enrichment activities like trips and outdoor learning. The school is particularly skilled at supporting pupils with additional needs and ensuring all children, including those with SEND, can access clubs and activities.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding personal development programme that teaches pupils about values like collaboration and excellence through engaging activities
- Broad, ambitious curriculum that is well-designed and prepares pupils effectively for the next stage of learning
- Strong approach to supporting pupils with SEND, with skilled staff who adapt teaching and work closely with families
- Excellent enrichment activities including trips, visits and outdoor learning that enhance the curriculum
- Positive behaviour and attitudes, with most pupils attending school regularly and conducting themselves well
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, curriculum content is not fully planned, which sometimes leaves teachers unclear about exactly what knowledge to teach and when
- Some pupils' reading books do not closely match their phonics knowledge, which slows progress for a few pupils in learning to read with fluency and accuracy
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance clubs, karate clubs, play leader roles, school council, calm spaces for mental health support
Banks Lane Infant School is a good school where pupils enjoy learning in a warm, nurturing environment. Children and pupils achieve well across the curriculum and benefit from excellent personal development opportunities.
At a Glance
17.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
30.1
Avg class size
28.8
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Banks Lane Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Banks Lane Infant School.
- Stockport Lads Club170m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Banks Lane Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Banks Lane Infant School is in Stockport; for families living there:
Apply to Stockport for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Banks Lane Infant School
Will you get a place at Banks Lane Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Banks Lane Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Banks Lane Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Banks Lane Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Stockport, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Banks Lane Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Stockport got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
268 pupils
270 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Stockport
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stockport
Across Stockport council
Places available
3,643
Applications
2,886
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Stockport council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
13.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
274
Total Pupils
136
Boys
138
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,709
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,257
Per pupil
£1576k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
180
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Banks Lane Infant School
Questions parents ask about Banks Lane Infant School
What is Banks Lane Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Banks Lane Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2009 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Banks Lane Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Banks Lane Infant School is oversubscribed, Stockport allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Banks Lane Infant School?
Banks Lane Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Banks Lane Infant School?
Classes at Banks Lane Infant School average 30.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Banks Lane Infant School?
Banks Lane Infant School has around 274 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Banks Lane Infant School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at Banks Lane Infant School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Banks Lane Infant School?
Apply through Stockport's coordinated admissions process, naming Banks Lane Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Banks Lane Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Banks Lane Infant School: Stockport Lads Club (170m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Banks Lane Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 8 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 6 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Banks Lane Infant School?
Banks Lane Infant School is at Hempshaw Lane, Offerton, Stockport, Cheshire, SK1 4PR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)