School profile

Bowlish Infant School

Primary · Community school · Shepton Mallet, BA4 5JQ

Requires improvement

Map showing Bowlish Infant School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

Bowlish Infant School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 7 Jul 2026

Area360 rating
Requires improvement
Inclusion
Needs attention
Curriculum and teaching
Needs attention
Achievement
Needs attention
Attendance and behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Needs attention
Early years
Needs attention
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages4 to 7
Pupils114
GenderMixed
Head teacherMiss Rebecca Eldred
Local authoritySomerset
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 123672.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils114
Girls67
Boys47
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.14%
First language not English10.5%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.118
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.3.4%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.11
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.2
Average class size28.5

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
91.2%
Other White
4.4%
Indian
1.8%
White and Black Caribbean
0.9%
Other mixed
0.9%
Other Asian
0.9%
Irish
0%
Traveller of Irish heritage
0%
Gypsy/Roma
0%
White and Black African
0%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher23.8
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.10.5
Teachers (FTE)4.8
Teaching assistants (FTE)6.1
Support staff (FTE)10.18
Teachers in census year (FTE)2023/245.3
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2023/242
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2023/240
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2023/243.3

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.39
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.59
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.44
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.38
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolSomersetEngland
Overall absence5.8%, worse than England, similar to Somerset5.3%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.14.5%, similar to England, similar to Somerset13.1%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Somerset1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate10.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions8%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Bowlish Infant School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.6 miPrimaryShepton Mallet Community Infants' School & NurseryCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimarySt Paul's Church of England VC Junior SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
0.8 miSecondaryWhitstoneAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.2 miPrimaryCroscombe Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement

Frequently asked questions about Bowlish Infant School

What is Bowlish Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Bowlish Infant School is rated Requires improvement, last inspected on 7 Jul 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How hard is it to get into Bowlish Infant School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Bowlish Infant School made 39 offers from 59 applications (1.5 per offer), and 38 of 44 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Bowlish Infant School?

Bowlish Infant School has 114 pupils aged 4 to 7.

What is the capacity of Bowlish Infant School?

Bowlish Infant School had 118 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Bowlish Infant School?

At Bowlish Infant School, the average class had 28.5 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 23.8 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Bowlish Infant School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Bowlish Infant School missed 5.8% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 14.5% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.