Cunningham Hill Infant School, St Albans
Cunningham Hill Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in St Albans. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2024. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cunningham Hill Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Cunningham Hill Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 78 families put Cunningham Hill Infant School as their first choice and 246 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Cunningham Hill Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cunningham Hill Infant School are Cunningham Hill Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 92% maths); Camp Primary and Nursery School (0.3 miles, Good, 93% reading, 86% maths); Windermere Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 85% reading, 70% maths); and St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & Nursery (0.4 miles).
Cunningham Hill Junior SchoolCamp Primary and Nursery SchoolWindermere Primary SchoolSt Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School & Nursery
Who goes there
10% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 40.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (40%), Asian (20%) and Mixed (13%).
In 2026, 21 pupils (11.7%) received SEN support and 3 (1.7%) 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.
Staffing
Cunningham Hill 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 St Albans City Rail Station, about 1090 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wingate Way (opposite), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 252 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Cunningham Hill Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cunningham Hill Infant School are Samuel Ryder Academy (0.4 miles), Verulam School (0.8 miles), Loreto College (0.9 miles) and Beaumont School (1 mile).
Samuel Ryder AcademyVerulam SchoolLoreto CollegeBeaumont School
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
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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its January 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
10.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Cunningham Hill Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cunningham Hill Infant School.
- Stagecoach St. AlbansAt the school · Not yet graded
- Fun Fest St Albans770m away · Not yet graded
- Brain Up Abacus (St Albans)890m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cunningham Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. 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 Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cunningham Hill Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cunningham Hill Infant School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 Cunningham Hill Infant School
Will you get a place at Cunningham Hill Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cunningham Hill Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cunningham Hill Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cunningham Hill Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cunningham Hill Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
100%
Full
180 pupils
180 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - St Albans
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for St Albans
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
13.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
180
Total Pupils
87
Boys
93
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
13.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,141
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,640
Per pupil
£1121k
Total funding
£18k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
122
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 Cunningham Hill Infant School
What is Cunningham Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Cunningham Hill Infant School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2024.
What is the catchment area for Cunningham Hill Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Cunningham Hill Infant School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Cunningham Hill Infant School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Classes at Cunningham Hill Infant School average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Cunningham Hill Infant School has around 180 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cunningham Hill Infant School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at Cunningham Hill Infant School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cunningham Hill 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 Cunningham Hill Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Stagecoach St. Albans (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Cunningham Hill Infant School's term dates?
Cunningham Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Hertfordshire. 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 Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Monday 24 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cunningham Hill Infant School?
Cunningham Hill Infant School is at Cell Barnes Lane, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 5QJ.
Sources: Hertfordshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)