Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School

About Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School

Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is a Church of England state primary in West Berkshire that runs close to full, with 203 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210. Its intake is notably less disadvantaged than the local average: just 3% of pupils qualify for free school meals, compared with a national primary average of around 24%. That demographic profile is reflected in the school's popularity — for 30 places in the 2025/26 reception intake, there were 85 applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.83. Of those, 35 were first-preference applications, and 25 first-preference offers were made. The school is mixed and co-educational, serving ages 5 to 11, and is led by headteacher Mitch Warrender. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2024, confirmed the school remains Good, a rating it has held consistently since at least its previous graded inspection in 2014.

Academically, Cold Ash St Mark's performs above the West Berkshire average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 57%. That places the school 19th out of 57 primary schools in West Berkshire, putting it in the top third of the local league table. Reading scores were particularly strong: the average scaled score was 105, and 29% of pupils achieved the higher standard. In maths, the average score was 102, with 17% reaching the higher threshold. Writing was a relative weakness at the higher level, with just 8% achieving greater depth, matching the combined RWM higher percentage. The school does not publish progress scores for any of the three subjects, so it's not possible to compare value-added directly, but the attainment figures suggest a solidly above-average academic offering for the area.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a library, playing fields, sports hall, art studios, forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cross country, dance and athletics, while extracurricular clubs include coding, gardening and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, the school's SEND register covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Oversubscription is significant — nearly three applicants per place — so families living outside the immediate catchment should check the admissions criteria carefully. Cold Ash St Mark's suits families who value a Church of England primary with strong core attainment, a relatively affluent intake, and a good range of on-site facilities and clubs, but who are comfortable with a school that is academically solid rather than exceptional at the highest level.

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