Dunalley Primary School
West Drive, Cheltenham, GL50 4LB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alison Godfrey
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Cheltenham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 456
- URN
- 115582
- Local authority
- Gloucestershire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01242512391
About this school
Dunalley Primary School is a community primary school in Cheltenham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 456 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Dunalley Primary 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 57 | 56 | 60 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 66% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 7% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 79% | 77% | 83% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 82% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 82% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 107.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Dunalley Primary 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 | Gloucestershire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 58.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 56.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 59.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 421 |
| 2023/24 | 423 |
| 2024/25 | 420 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dunalley Primary School compares
Dunalley Primary School ranked 73rd of 209 primary schools in Gloucestershire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.9% | 12.9% | 456 | — |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | 62% | 4.1% | 20.5% | 169 | 0.5 miles |
| The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great | 48% | 5.2% | 16.8% | 412 | 0.6 miles |
| St John's Church of England Primary School | 55% | 6.7% | 20.2% | 174 | 0.7 miles |
| Gardners Lane Primary School | 50% | 7.8% | 38.9% | 262 | 0.7 miles |
| Oakwood Primary School | 14% | 9.8% | 43.3% | 310 | 0.8 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)
- 12.86%
- English as an additional language
- 13.3%
- Overall absence
- 3.91%
- Persistent absence
- 6.2%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
The Catholic School of Saint Gregory the Great0.6 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
St John's Church of England Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
Gardners Lane Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
Oakwood Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
Other schools in Cheltenham
Dunalley Primary School ranks 17th of the 40 ranked primary schools in Cheltenham.
- Andoversford Primary School Primary
- Benhall Infant School Primary
- Bishops Cleeve Primary Academy Primary
- Bourton-on-the-Water Primary School Primary
- Charlton Kings Infants' School Primary
- Charlton Kings Junior School Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Coberley Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cold Aston Church of England Primary School Primary
- Gardners Lane Primary School Primary
- Glenfall Community Primary School Primary
- Gloucester Road Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Dunalley Primary School teach?
- Dunalley Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Cheltenham.
- Who is the headteacher of Dunalley Primary School?
- The headteacher of Dunalley Primary School is Mrs Alison Godfrey, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Dunalley Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dunalley Primary 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 Dunalley Primary School?
- Dunalley Primary School has 456 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Dunalley Primary School full?
- Dunalley Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 456 on roll (109%), so it is at or above 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 Dunalley Primary School a faith school?
- No. Dunalley Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Dunalley Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Dunalley Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Dunalley Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Dunalley Primary School compare with other schools in Gloucestershire?
- Dunalley Primary School ranked 73rd of 209 primary schools in Gloucestershire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Dunalley Primary School's absence rate?
- Dunalley Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dunalley Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dunalley Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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 30 June 2026.