Mells Church First School, Frome
Mells Church First School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 9 in Frome, part of The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was 67% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Mells Church First School in detail
Getting a place at Mells Church First School
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put Mells Church First School as their first choice and 22 named it as one of their preferences, for 11 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 Mells Church First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Mells Church First School are Leigh On Mendip School (2 miles, Good, 90% reading, 70% maths); Nunney First School (2.3 miles, Good); Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School (2.5 miles, Requires improvement, 88% reading, 81% maths); and Trinity Church of England First School (2.7 miles).
Leigh On Mendip SchoolNunney First SchoolBishop Henderson Church of England Primary SchoolTrinity Church of England First School
The trust
Mells Church First School is one of 46 schools run by The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust, an academy trust.
All 46 schools in The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust
Who goes there
7.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Mells Church First School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 8 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Mells Church First School.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Somerset (22).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Mells Church First School issued 1 suspension, 1.7 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Mells Church First School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in December 2024. Before that, as Mells Church of England First School (URN 123767), it was rated Good in September 2016.
At a Glance
7.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
17.0
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
15.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Mells Church First School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Mells Church First School.
- IG Sports Coaching Limited - MellsAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mells Church First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mells Church First School is in Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 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 Mells Church First School
Will you get a place at Mells Church First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mells Church First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mells Church First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mells Church First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Mells Church First School for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Somerset 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
67%
Available places
60 pupils
90 places
30 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Frome
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Frome
Across Somerset council
Places available
6,414
Applications
4,928
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
15.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
51
Total Pupils
29
Boys
22
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
6.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,114
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,252
Per pupil
£524k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
11.8%
Persistent absence
51
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Mells Church First School
What is Mells Church First School's Ofsted rating?
Mells Church First School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in December 2024. Before that, as Mells Church of England First School (URN 123767), it was rated Good in September 2016.
What is the catchment area for Mells Church First School?
No fixed boundary. When Mells Church First School is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Mells Church First School?
Mells Church First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 67% of its 90 places.
How big are the classes at Mells Church First School?
Classes at Mells Church First School average 17 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Mells Church First School?
Mells Church First School has around 51 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mells Church First School?
6.5% of sessions were missed at Mells Church First School in 2024/25. 11.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mells Church First School?
Apply through Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Mells Church First 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 Mells Church First School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: IG Sports Coaching Limited - Mells (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 Mells Church First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Mells Church First School?
Mells Church First School is at Mells Green, Mells, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3QE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)