Glenfall Community Primary School

About Glenfall Community Primary School

Glenfall Community Primary School in Cheltenham holds a Good rating from Ofsted, confirmed in its most recent ungraded inspection in 2023. The school’s academic strength is most clearly seen in its Key Stage 2 results, where 87% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That figure is well above the Gloucestershire local authority average of 59% and places Glenfall first among 22 primary schools in Cheltenham. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 5% of all primary schools for this same metric. Looking at individual subjects, reading is a particular strength: 93% of pupils reached the expected level and 43% achieved the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 109. Maths followed closely, with 87% at the expected level and an average score of 105. Writing was slightly lower, with 10% reaching the higher standard. The school’s improvement journey is clear from Ofsted records: it was rated Requires Improvement in its 2012 graded inspection but moved to Good by its 2014 graded inspection, a rating that was reaffirmed in the 2023 ungraded inspection.

The school has 208 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, so it is operating near full capacity. Around 12% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average. Glenfall does not have a nursery or sixth form, and it is not a boarding school. It has no religious character. The headteacher is A Mitchell. In terms of facilities, the school offers a library, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, outdoor playground, dining hall, and a forest school. Sports on offer include athletics, cricket, netball, cross country and gymnastics, while clubs range from chess and coding to gardening, science club and choir. The school’s SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder.

Glenfall is a popular choice in Cheltenham, and the admissions data for 2025/26 shows it is oversubscribed: there were 95 applications for 20 places, a ratio of 4.75 applicants per place, and 18 of those 20 places went to first-preference families. For families looking for a primary school in Cheltenham with strong academic outcomes, clear evidence of improvement, and a wide range of extracurricular activities, Glenfall is a strong contender, though securing a place will require a first-preference application given the level of demand.

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