Rowanfield Infant School, Cheltenham

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades Rowanfield Infant School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils progress well from their starting points."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders have well-thought-out ways to track when an individual pupil's attendance starts to dip."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have improved the quality of the school's curriculum since the previous inspection."

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders have created a well-constructed and logically ordered curriculum that considers where children are in their overall development when they start school."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have created an inclusive culture in which all pupils feel valued, safe and able to participate fully in school life."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders, including from the trust, understand the school's strengths and areas that need further development."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders place importance on the personal development and wellbeing programme for pupils."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that their systems and processes for monitoring the attendance of particular groups of pupils continues to have the desired impact so that all pupils benefit as much as they can from the school's provision"; "Leaders should improve pupils' accuracy in their writing across subjects, particularly in handwriting, letter and number formation so that pupils secure the knowledge they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their education".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Our school vision of Dream , Drive, Duty , Dazzle underpins everything we do at Rowanfield Infant School. Through this vision we aim to nurture values, behaviours, skills and attitudes that enable children and adults to grow, develop and respond positively to all opportunities and challenges."

The school runs a breakfast club from 8:15am and after-school care.

For September 2026 entry, 60 families put Rowanfield Infant School as their first choice and 113 named it as one of their preferences, for 64 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Rowanfield Infant School are Rowanfield Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 76% reading, 75% maths); Hesters Way Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 67% maths); Gloucester Road Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 55% reading, 45% maths); and Christ Church CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 81% reading, 84% maths).

Rowanfield Infant School is one of 11 schools run by Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

In 2026, 60 pupils (25.5%) received SEN support and 15 (6.4%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Cheltenham Spa Rail Station, about 960 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).

12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brooklyn Road (in), 220 metres away.

In 2024/25, Rowanfield Infant School issued 13 suspensions, 5.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Rowanfield Infant School are Pate's Grammar School (0.6 miles); All Saints' Academy, Cheltenham (0.6 miles); and Cheltenham Bournside School and Sixth Form Centre (1.3 miles).