Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School, Thatcham
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Thatcham. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 12 schools in Thatcham with published results, and 8,749th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 104% of capacity.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Berkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 71% in West Berkshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 75% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 35 families put Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 6 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School are St Finian's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 87% reading, 77% maths); Whitelands Park Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths); Thatcham Park CofE Primary (1.4 miles, Good, 74% reading, 69% maths); and Curridge Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 82% reading, 64% maths).
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Finian's Catholic Primary SchoolWhitelands Park Primary SchoolThatcham Park CofE PrimaryCurridge Primary School
Who goes there
2.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (89%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 24 pupils (12.3%) received SEN support and 4 (2.1%) 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 autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Thatcham Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Cold Ash Primary School (adjacent), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 7 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26).
Suspensions and exclusions
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2014 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
2.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 67% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 75% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.9
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
26.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School.
- XP Kids Ltd After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- GetActive@StFinians820m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is in West Berkshire; for families living there:
Apply to West Berkshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 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 Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
Will you get a place at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Berkshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Berkshire 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
104%
Over capacity
203 pupils
196 places
7 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Thatcham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Thatcham
Across West Berkshire council
Places available
2,024
Applications
1,547
Got 1st preference
90.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across West Berkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
195
Total Pupils
106
Boys
89
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,051
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,116
Per pupil
£1120k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
4.6%
Persistent absence
175
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is oversubscribed, West Berkshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School was full in 2025, at 104% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Classes at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School average 27.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School has around 195 pupils on roll. 2% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School in 2024/25. 4.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Apply through West Berkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary 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 Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: XP Kids Ltd After School Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School?
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is at Cold Ash Hill, Cold Ash, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 9PT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)