Mrs Bland's Infant School, Reading
Mrs Bland's Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Reading. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. It was 72% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Mrs Bland's Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Mrs Bland's Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 39 families put Mrs Bland's Infant School as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 41 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 Mrs Bland's Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Mrs Bland's Infant School are Garland Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 74% reading, 70% maths); Sulhamstead and Ufton Nervet School (1 mile, Good, 71% reading, 59% maths); Burghfield St Mary's C.E. Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 53% maths); and Mortimer St. John's C.E. Infant School (1.6 miles, Good).
Garland Junior SchoolSulhamstead and Ufton Nervet SchoolBurghfield St Mary's C.E. Primary SchoolMortimer St. John's C.E. Infant School
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Mrs Bland's Infant School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Who goes there
9.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 26 pupils (14.4%) received SEN support and 5 (2.8%) 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
Mrs Bland's Infant School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mortimer Rail Station, about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Goodwood Close (adjacent), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Mrs Bland's Infant 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 47 crimes within a mile of the school, most often shoplifting, violence and sexual offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Mrs Bland's Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Mrs Bland's Infant School is exceptionally caring and nurturing, where every child is accepted and celebrated. Staff have high expectations and pupils are confident learners who love coming to school - reflected in outstanding attendance. The school's core values of perseverance, kindness and respect shape everyday life, and enriching experiences like theatre trips, museum visits and seaside outings bring learning to life.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils are remarkably courteous, follow instructions with consideration, and take on leadership roles with confidence and joy
- Excellent personal development - pupils raise funds for causes they support, participate in village events, grow their own vegetables, and develop mature understanding of different cultures and religions
- Strong curriculum design - ambitious and engaging curriculum that starts in early years, is accessible to all pupils including those with SEND, and includes enriching trips to enhance learning
- Excellent approach to reading - well-stocked library and classrooms encourage diverse reading, pupils get off to a swift start in reading and writing, and teachers effectively identify and support struggling readers
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment gaps - in some subjects and in early years, teachers do not always check well enough what pupils know and understand before moving to new topics, which means some pupils miss out on consolidating key learning
- Phonics lessons - occasionally teachers do not address gaps in pupils' knowledge effectively during phonics instruction
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Piano club, dodgeball, craft, dance, school council, sports ambassadors, librarians, house captains
Mrs Bland's Infant School is an exceptionally nurturing and happy school that provides a warm welcome to all pupils, families and visitors. It has high expectations of what pupils can achieve and they respond with confident, positive attitudes to learning.
At a Glance
9.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
30.2
Avg class size
29.5
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Mrs Bland's Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Mrs Bland's Infant School.
- Let's Play @ Willink Leisure CentreAt the school · Not yet graded
- Stagecoach Burghfield Common200m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Mrs Bland's Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Mrs Bland's Infant 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 8 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 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 Mrs Bland's Infant School
Will you get a place at Mrs Bland's Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Mrs Bland's Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Mrs Bland's Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Mrs Bland's Infant 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 Mrs Bland's Infant 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
72%
Available places
130 pupils
180 places
50 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
181
Total Pupils
99
Boys
82
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,420
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,464
Per pupil
£915k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
12.9%
Persistent absence
101
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
Mrs Bland's Infant School
Questions parents ask about Mrs Bland's Infant School
What is Mrs Bland's Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Mrs Bland's Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Mrs Bland's Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Mrs Bland's Infant 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 Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Mrs Bland's Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Classes at Mrs Bland's Infant School average 30.2 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Mrs Bland's Infant School has around 181 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Mrs Bland's Infant School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at Mrs Bland's Infant School in 2024/25. 12.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Apply through West Berkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Mrs Bland's 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 Mrs Bland's Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Let's Play @ Willink Leisure Centre (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 Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 8 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Mrs Bland's Infant School?
Mrs Bland's Infant School is at Jordan's Lane, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3LP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)