R A Butler Infant School, Saffron Walden
R A Butler Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Saffron Walden, part of Saffron Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
R A Butler Infant School in detail
Getting a place at R A Butler Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 87 families put R A Butler Infant School as their first choice and 176 named it as one of their preferences, for 87 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at R A Butler Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to R A Butler Infant School are R A Butler Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 93% maths); St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden (0.1 miles, Good, 97% reading, 94% maths); St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 90% maths); and Katherine Semar Infant School (0.7 miles, Outstanding).
R A Butler Junior SchoolSt Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron WaldenSt Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolKatherine Semar Infant School
The trust
R A Butler Infant School is one of 9 schools run by Saffron Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
58 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about R A Butler Infant School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (95%).
Who goes there
9.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (8.5%) received SEN support and 12 (4.4%) 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
R A Butler Infant School had 19 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 Audley End Rail Station, about 1.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bell School (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood R A Butler Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 7th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
R A Butler Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 April 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
R A Butler Infant School creates an inclusive, calm and harmonious environment where pupils thrive and feel safe. The school is incredibly ambitious for all pupils, delivering high-quality teaching across all subjects while ensuring children with additional needs receive the support they require. With exemplary behaviour, high attendance and a passion for learning, pupils are confident, curious learners who take pride in their work.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional teaching of reading and phonics with well-trained staff ensuring pupils quickly learn sounds and letters -
- Highly ambitious and well-developed curriculum with pupils gaining secure knowledge by the end of Year 2 -
- Exemplary pupil behaviour with warm, respectful relationships throughout the school -
- Outstanding support for pupils with SEND who achieve exceptionally well from their various starting points -
- Strong staff training and subject knowledge ensuring effective curriculum delivery
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Gardening, karate, hockey
R A Butler Infant School is a thriving school where pupils are extremely happy and achieve exceptionally well across a range of subjects. Evidence from this inspection suggests the school's work has improved significantly since it was previously judged good.
At a Glance
9.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
58 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
30.1
Avg class size
30.1
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with R A Butler Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near R A Butler Infant School.
- R A B Late Play ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Club Excel at Dame Bradbury's School900m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to R A Butler Infant School, with their latest published grades:
- St. Thomas More Montessori Pre School - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 17 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Bell Day Nursery Community Interest Company - Day nursery, 0.3 milesOfsted, 10 June 2025: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Saffron Walden Nursery School - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 24 April 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Bell Day Pre-school - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 16 May 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Olivers Lodge - Saffron Walden - Day nursery, 0.5 milesOfsted report card, 29 January 2026: Expected standard in 2 areas, Needs attention in 4 areas; safeguarding standards met
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to R A Butler Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. R A Butler Infant School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 13 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at R A Butler Infant School
Will you get a place at R A Butler Infant School?
For 2026 entry it had 87 first choices for 87 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
272 pupils
270 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Uttlesford Primary B: North (Saffron Walden) planning area (Essex) will have 88 spare primary places in 2027/28. In the year groups that are short, it estimates 25 additional places needed.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
12.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
271
Total Pupils
137
Boys
134
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,441
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£1491k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
4.8%
Persistent absence
186
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
R A Butler Infant School
Questions parents ask about R A Butler Infant School
What is R A Butler Infant School's Ofsted rating?
R A Butler Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in April 2015, it was rated Good.
Is it hard to get a place at R A Butler Infant School?
R A Butler Infant School was full in 2025, at 101% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at R A Butler Infant School?
Classes at R A Butler Infant School average 30.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils.
How many pupils go to R A Butler Infant School?
R A Butler Infant School has around 271 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at R A Butler Infant School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at R A Butler Infant School in 2024/25. 4.8% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does R A Butler Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: R A B Late Play Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre.
How many road collisions happen near R A Butler Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 13 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is R A Butler Infant School?
R A Butler Infant School is at South Road, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB11 3DG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)