Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery, Shepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Shepton Mallet. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2024 did not change this grade. It was 83% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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 Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery in detail
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery in its own words
In its own words: "At Shepton Mallet Community Infants’ School & Nursery we believe that every child is entitled to enjoy his or her childhood. They should be valued for their individuality, culture and heritage and be encouraged to develop their full potential in a stimulating and caring environment."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery as their first choice and 38 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 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 Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery are St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 67% reading, 65% maths); Bowlish Infant School (0.6 miles, Good); St Aldhelms Church School (1.7 miles, 77% reading, 73% maths); and Croscombe Church of England Primary School (1.8 miles).
St Paul's Church of England VC Junior SchoolBowlish Infant SchoolSt Aldhelms Church SchoolCroscombe Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
14.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 30.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (62%) and Asian (7%).
In 2026, 37 pupils (19.9%) received SEN support and 3 (1.6%) 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
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery had 10 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
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Waterloo Road (sw-bound), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 58 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Somerset (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from February 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
14.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
27.0
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery.
- TLE-SheptonAt the school · Not yet graded
- Mini Mojos390m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
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, 5 serious and 14 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
Will you get a place at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery for 2014 to 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
138 pupils
167 places
29 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Shepton Mallet
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Shepton Mallet
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
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
37
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
21.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
186
Total Pupils
96
Boys
90
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
18.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,395
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,245
Per pupil
£988k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
18.3%
Persistent absence
104
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
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
Questions parents ask about Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery
What is Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 83% of its 167 places.
How big are the classes at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
Classes at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery average 27 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery has around 186 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
6.1% of sessions were missed at Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery in 2024/25. 18.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
Apply through Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery 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 Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: TLE-Shepton (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 Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
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, 5 serious and 14 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery?
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery is at Waterloo Road, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 5HE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)