St Mary's Church of England Infant School, Cheltenham
St Mary's Church of England Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Cheltenham. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Gloucestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Church of England Infant School in detail
St Mary's Church of England Infant School in its own words
The school runs after-school care until 4:00pm.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Mary's Church of England Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 78 families put St Mary's Church of England Infant School as their first choice and 146 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 20 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Church of England Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Church of England Infant School are Prestbury St Mary's Church of England Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 85% maths); Oakwood Primary School (0.2 miles, Requires improvement, 34% reading, 21% maths); Holy Apostles' Church of England Primary School (1 mile, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths); and Dunalley Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths).
Prestbury St Mary's Church of England Junior SchoolOakwood Primary SchoolHoly Apostles' Church of England Primary SchoolDunalley Primary School
Who goes there
14.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (84%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 18 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 6 (3.4%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Cheltenham Racecourse (Gloucs Warwicks Railway), about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chiltern Road (after), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Church of England Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Church of England Infant School issued 2 suspensions, 1.1 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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
14.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Church of England Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's Church of England Infant School.
- 4-2-11 Activity CampAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's Church of England Infant School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Gloucestershire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Church of England Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Church of England Infant School is in Gloucestershire; for families living there:
Apply to Gloucestershire 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
- 1
- 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, 1 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 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 St Mary's Church of England Infant School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Church of England Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Church of England Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Church of England Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Church of England Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Gloucestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Church of England Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Gloucestershire 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
98%
Near capacity
177 pupils
180 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cheltenham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cheltenham
Across Gloucestershire council
Places available
7,250
Applications
6,016
Got 1st preference
91.6%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All primary applications across Gloucestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
13.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
177
Total Pupils
85
Boys
92
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,189
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,278
Per pupil
£1033k
Total funding
£20k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
9.2%
Persistent absence
120
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
St Mary's Church of England Infant School
Questions parents ask about St Mary's Church of England Infant School
What is St Mary's Church of England Infant School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Church of England Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2009 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Church of England Infant School is oversubscribed, Gloucestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
St Mary's Church of England Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
Classes at St Mary's Church of England Infant School average 29.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
St Mary's Church of England Infant School has around 177 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Church of England Infant School in 2024/25. 9.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
Apply through Gloucestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Church of England 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 St Mary's Church of England Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: 4-2-11 Activity Camp (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 St Mary's Church of England 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, 1 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 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 Gloucestershire is 5 (the median across 338 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary's Church of England Infant School?
St Mary's Church of England Infant School is at Bouncers Lane, Prestbury, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 5JB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)