Blue Gate Fields Infants' School, London
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School in detail
Getting a place at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
For September 2026 entry, 81 families put Blue Gate Fields Infants' School as their first choice and 145 named it as one of their preferences, for 85 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 7 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School are Blue Gate Fields Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 88% reading, 83% maths); St Mary and St Michael Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 83% reading, 93% maths); Bigland Green Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 90% maths); and St Peter's London Docks CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 96% maths).
Blue Gate Fields Junior SchoolSt Mary and St Michael Primary SchoolBigland Green Primary SchoolSt Peter's London Docks CofE Primary School
What parents say
12 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Blue Gate Fields Infants' School (as of September 2025): 75% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (92%); the weakest, that their child does well at the school (67%).
Who goes there
97.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 108 pupils (32.1%) received SEN support and 22 (6.5%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest DLR station is Shadwell DLR, about 130 metres away (roughly a 2-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Shadwell DLR (stand a), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School are Bishop Challoner Catholic School (0.2 miles), Mulberry School for Girls (0.3 miles), Wapping High School (0.4 miles) and Mulberry Academy London Dock (0.5 miles).
Bishop Challoner Catholic SchoolMulberry School for GirlsWapping High SchoolMulberry Academy London Dock
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils flourish at this happy school. The school has created an atmosphere where pupils 'learn, grow and achieve' together. Pupils enjoy coming to school because they have kind friends to play with. Relationships between adults and pupils are built on trust. Pupils are confident that, if they have any concerns, staff will listen and help them. This helps pupils to feel safe.
The school has high expectations of pupils. Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to their learning. They achieve well across a range of subjects.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children are taught to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. This is because the school wants all pupils to read with confidence. Pupils are read aloud to daily. They talk about their favourite stories with enthusiasm. In the Nursery, children are taught to identify sounds that they can hear in the environment. This prepares them well for learning phonics in the Reception classes.
Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils know. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), read with developing fluency. Pupils are given regular opportunities to revise the sounds that they have been taught. This typically helps teaching staff to identify and support any pupils who need help to catch up.
From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2015 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
26.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
12 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
27.9
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
11
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Blue Gate Fields Infants' School.
- Mentors Learning Academy520m away · Not yet graded
- Brightstar Kids Club670m away · Not yet graded
- MNS SE London Activities950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. 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 Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is in Tower Hamlets; for families living there:
Apply to Tower Hamlets for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 278
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 34
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 278 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 34 serious and 242 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
29 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 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 Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
Will you get a place at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Blue Gate Fields Infants' School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Blue Gate Fields Infants' School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Blue Gate Fields Infants' School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tower Hamlets 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
98%
Near capacity
265 pupils
270 places
5 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Tower Hamlets council
Places available
3,355
Applications
2,713
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Tower Hamlets council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
108
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
38.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
336
Total Pupils
179
Boys
157
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
24.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£61,182
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,696
Per pupil
£2308k
Total funding
£117k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
16.8%
Persistent absence
184
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
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
Questions parents ask about Blue Gate Fields Infants' School
What is Blue Gate Fields Infants' School's Ofsted rating?
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
No fixed boundary. When Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is oversubscribed, Tower Hamlets allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Classes at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School average 27.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School has around 336 pupils on roll. 27% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
6% of sessions were missed at Blue Gate Fields Infants' School in 2024/25. 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Blue Gate Fields Infants' 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 Blue Gate Fields Infants' School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Blue Gate Fields Infants' School: Mentors Learning Academy (520m away, registered, not yet graded), Brightstar Kids Club (670m away, registered, not yet graded) and MNS SE London Activities (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Blue Gate Fields Infants' School's term dates?
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. 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 Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 278 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 34 serious and 242 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 29 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Blue Gate Fields Infants' School?
Blue Gate Fields Infants' School is at King David Lane, Stepney, London, E1 0EH.
Sources: Tower Hamlets term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)