Parsons Down Infant School
Herons Way, Thatcham, RG19 3SR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Catherine Bull
- Federation
- Parsons Down Partnership of Schools
- Constituency
- Newbury
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 88
- URN
- 109875
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01635866700
About this school
Parsons Down Infant School is a community primary school in Thatcham. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 88 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Parsons Down Infant School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 21 May 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Parsons Down Infant School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 116 |
| 2023/24 | 90 |
| 2024/25 | 90 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Parsons Down Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 32% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.5% | 8.9% | 88 | — |
| Parsons Down Junior School | 39% | 5.6% | 23.3% | 139 | 0.1 miles |
| Whitelands Park Primary School | 57% | 6.1% | 22.1% | 372 | 0.6 miles |
| Thatcham Park CofE Primary | 51% | 4.2% | 24% | 399 | 0.8 miles |
| Fir Tree Primary School and Nursery | 53% | 5.7% | 42% | 239 | 0.9 miles |
| Spurcroft Primary School | 49% | 4.6% | 13.7% | 408 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.89%
- English as an additional language
- 12.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.47%
- Persistent absence
- 9.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parsons Down Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Thatcham
-
Whitelands Park Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Thatcham
-
Thatcham Park CofE Primary0.8 miles
Primary · Thatcham
-
Fir Tree Primary School and Nursery0.9 miles
Primary · Newbury
-
Spurcroft Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Thatcham
Other schools in Thatcham
- Ashford Hill Primary School Primary
- Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School Primary
- Curridge Primary School Primary
- Francis Baily Primary School Primary
- Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School Primary
- Hermitage Primary School Primary
- Parsons Down Junior School Primary
- Spurcroft Primary School Primary
- St Finian's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Thatcham Park CofE Primary Primary
- Whitelands Park Primary School Primary
- Yattendon C.E. Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Parsons Down Infant School teach?
- Parsons Down Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Thatcham.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Parsons Down Infant School?
- The executive headteacher of Parsons Down Infant School is Mrs Catherine Bull, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Parsons Down Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Parsons Down Infant School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Parsons Down Infant School?
- Parsons Down Infant School has 88 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Parsons Down Infant School full?
- Parsons Down Infant School has capacity for 150 pupils and 88 on roll (59%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Parsons Down Infant School a faith school?
- No. Parsons Down Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Parsons Down Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Parsons Down Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Parsons Down Infant School part of an academy trust?
- Parsons Down Infant School is part of the Parsons Down Partnership of Schools federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Parsons Down Infant School's absence rate?
- Parsons Down Infant School's overall absence rate is 6.5% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Parsons Down Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Parsons Down Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.