R A Butler Infant School
South Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 3DG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SAFFRON ACADEMY TRUST
- Exectuvie Headteacher
- Emma Vincent
- Sponsor
- Saffron Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 271
- URN
- 136325
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01799523651
About this school
R A Butler Infant School is a primary academy in Saffron Walden. It teaches children aged 5 to 7 and has 271 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 6 November 2024, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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 R A Butler 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 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 272 |
| 2023/24 | 269 |
| 2024/25 | 271 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How R A Butler Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.3% | 9.2% | 271 | — |
| R A Butler Junior School | 82% | 3.1% | 12% | 384 | 0.0 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden | 94% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 206 | 0.1 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 65% | 4.9% | 18.9% | 224 | 0.5 miles |
| Katherine Semar Infant School | — | 3.7% | 10.6% | 180 | 0.7 miles |
| Katherine Semar Junior School | 79% | 3.1% | 12.9% | 256 | 0.7 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)
- 9.23%
- English as an additional language
- 15.1%
- Overall absence
- 3.33%
- Persistent absence
- 4.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
R A Butler Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden0.1 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Katherine Semar Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
Katherine Semar Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
Other schools in Saffron Walden
- Ashdon Primary School Primary
- Clavering Primary School Primary
- Debden Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary Academy Primary
- Great Chesterford Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Great Sampford Community Primary School Primary
- Katherine Semar Infant School Primary
- Katherine Semar Junior School Primary
- R A Butler Junior School Primary
- Radwinter Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does R A Butler Infant School teach?
- R A Butler Infant School teaches children aged 5 to 7. It is a primary school in Saffron Walden.
- Who is the exectuvie headteacher of R A Butler Infant School?
- The exectuvie headteacher of R A Butler Infant School is Emma Vincent, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was R A Butler Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected R A Butler 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 big is R A Butler Infant School?
- R A Butler Infant School has 271 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 7.
- Is R A Butler Infant School full?
- R A Butler Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 271 on roll (100%), 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 R A Butler Infant School a faith school?
- No. R A Butler Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does R A Butler Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records R A Butler Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs R A Butler Infant School?
- R A Butler Infant School is part of SAFFRON ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is R A Butler Infant School's absence rate?
- R A Butler Infant School's overall absence rate is 3.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does R A Butler 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 R A Butler 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 2 July 2026.