Benhall Infant School, Cheltenham
Benhall Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Cheltenham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Gloucestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Benhall Infant School in detail
Benhall Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Benhall Infant School and Pre-School is situated on Robert Burns Avenue, Benhall, Cheltenham. We share our grounds with St Marks Junior School, which affords the children the opportunity to use the field adjacent to the playground for playtimes and outdoor learning. Our Governor Run Pre-School is an integral part of school, managed by Aimee Millward."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, dance and drama.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Benhall Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put Benhall Infant School as their first choice and 127 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 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 Benhall Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Benhall Infant School are St Mark's Church of England Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 76% maths); Lakeside Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 72% reading, 66% maths); Greatfield Park Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths); and St Thomas More Catholic Primary School (0.8 miles, 43% reading, 40% maths).
St Mark's Church of England Junior SchoolLakeside Primary SchoolGreatfield Park Primary SchoolSt Thomas More Catholic Primary School
Who goes there
8.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (12.1%) received SEN support and 7 (3%) 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
Benhall Infant School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cheltenham Spa Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Robert Burns Avenue (near), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Benhall Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Benhall Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Benhall Infant School are Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form Centre (0.8 miles); Pate's Grammar School (1.1 miles); The High School Leckhampton (1.5 miles); and All Saints' Academy, Cheltenham (1.6 miles).
Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form CentrePate's Grammar SchoolThe High School LeckhamptonAll Saints' Academy, Cheltenham
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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
8.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Benhall Infant School
From Benhall Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Benhall Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Benhall Infant School.
- Move More Camps - St MarksAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Benhall Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Gloucestershire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Benhall Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Benhall Infant School is in Gloucestershire; for families living there:
Apply to Gloucestershire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
5 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 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 Benhall Infant School
Will you get a place at Benhall Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Benhall Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Benhall Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Benhall Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Gloucestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Benhall Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Gloucestershire 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
179 pupils
180 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cheltenham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cheltenham
Across Gloucestershire council
Places available
7,250
Applications
6,016
Got 1st preference
91.6%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All primary applications across Gloucestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
231
Total Pupils
108
Boys
123
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,249
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,418
Per pupil
£1091k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
10.4%
Persistent absence
125
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
Questions parents ask about Benhall Infant School
What is Benhall Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Benhall Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2010 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Benhall Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Benhall Infant School is oversubscribed, Gloucestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Benhall Infant School?
Benhall Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Benhall Infant School?
Classes at Benhall Infant School average 29.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Benhall Infant School?
Benhall Infant School has around 231 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Benhall Infant School?
5% of sessions were missed at Benhall Infant School in 2024/25. 10.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Benhall Infant School?
Apply through Gloucestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Benhall 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 Benhall Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Move More Camps - St Marks (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Benhall Infant School's term dates?
Benhall Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Gloucestershire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Benhall Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 5 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Benhall Infant School?
Benhall Infant School is at Robert Burns Avenue, Benhall, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 6PS.
Sources: Gloucestershire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)