Bowlish Infant School
Bowlish, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5JQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Rebecca Eldred
- Constituency
- Wells and Mendip Hills
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 117
- Pupils on roll
- 114
- URN
- 123672
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01749342514
About this school
Bowlish Infant School is a community primary school in Shepton Mallet. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 114 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Bowlish 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 27 April 2022, 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 Bowlish 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 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 110 |
| 2023/24 | 107 |
| 2024/25 | 113 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Bowlish Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.2% | 13.3% | 114 | — |
| Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery | — | 6.1% | 26.1% | 186 | 0.6 miles |
| St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School | 56% | 5.6% | 26.7% | 324 | 0.6 miles |
| Croscombe Church of England Primary School | — | 8.5% | 20% | 42 | 1.2 miles |
| St Aldhelms Church School | 64% | 5.7% | 13.2% | 176 | 2.3 miles |
| Oakhill Church School | 53% | 6.9% | 19% | 109 | 2.6 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)
- 13.27%
- English as an additional language
- 8.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.23%
- Persistent absence
- 14.47%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery0.6 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
Croscombe Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Wells
-
St Aldhelms Church School2.3 miles
Primary · Shepton Mallet
-
Oakhill Church School2.6 miles
Primary · Radstock
Other schools in Shepton Mallet
- Ditcheat Primary School Primary
- Evercreech Church of England Primary School Primary
- Shepton Mallet Community Infants' School & Nursery Primary
- St Aldhelms Church School Primary
- St Paul's Church of England VC Junior School Primary
- Upton Noble CofE VC Primary School Primary
- Whitstone Secondary
- The Mendip School Free Schools
- All Hallows School Independent schools
Common questions
- What ages does Bowlish Infant School teach?
- Bowlish Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Shepton Mallet.
- Who is the headteacher of Bowlish Infant School?
- The headteacher of Bowlish Infant School is Miss Rebecca Eldred, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Bowlish Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Bowlish 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 Bowlish Infant School?
- Bowlish Infant School has 114 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Bowlish Infant School full?
- Bowlish Infant School has capacity for 117 pupils and 114 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Bowlish Infant School a faith school?
- No. Bowlish Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Bowlish Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Bowlish Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- What is Bowlish Infant School's absence rate?
- Bowlish Infant School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Bowlish 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 Bowlish 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 30 June 2026.