Rowanfield Junior School
Alstone Lane, Cheltenham, GL51 8HY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- GLOUCESTERSHIRE LEARNING ALLIANCE
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Shona Riddell
- Sponsor
- Gloucestershire Learning Alliance
- Constituency
- Cheltenham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 345
- URN
- 137255
- Local authority
- Gloucestershire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01242516611
About this school
Rowanfield Junior School is a primary academy in Cheltenham. It teaches children aged 7 to 11 and has 345 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Safeguarding
- Effective
A short monitoring inspection followed on : inspectors found that standards have been maintained.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 89 | 90 | 79 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 50% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 2% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 67% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 68% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 66% | 72% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
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 Rowanfield Junior 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 | 58% | 58.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 56.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 59.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 329 |
| 2023/24 | 343 |
| 2024/25 | 345 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Rowanfield Junior School compares
Rowanfield Junior School ranked 92nd of 209 primary schools in Gloucestershire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.7% | 42.9% | 345 | — |
| Rowanfield Infant School | — | 7.4% | 28.1% | 235 | 0.1 miles |
| Hesters Way Primary School | 57% | 7.5% | 46% | 171 | 0.5 miles |
| Gloucester Road Primary School | 38% | 4.8% | 25.2% | 236 | 0.5 miles |
| Christ Church CofE Primary School | 69% | 3.4% | 18% | 213 | 0.6 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School | 33% | 6.5% | 40.3% | 191 | 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.
Inspection history
-
Ungraded inspection report9 April 2025
- 3 March 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 42.9%
- English as an additional language
- 27.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.7%
- Persistent absence
- 16.76%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Rowanfield Infant School0.1 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
Hesters Way Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
Gloucester Road Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
Christ Church CofE Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Cheltenham
Other schools in Cheltenham
Rowanfield Junior School ranks 19th 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
- Dunalley Primary School Primary
- Gardners Lane Primary School Primary
- Glenfall Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Rowanfield Junior School teach?
- Rowanfield Junior School teaches children aged 7 to 11. It is a primary school in Cheltenham.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Rowanfield Junior School?
- The executive headteacher of Rowanfield Junior School is Mrs Shona Riddell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Rowanfield Junior School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Rowanfield Junior 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 Rowanfield Junior School?
- Rowanfield Junior School has 345 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 7 to 11.
- Is Rowanfield Junior School full?
- Rowanfield Junior School has capacity for 360 pupils and 345 on roll (96%), 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 Rowanfield Junior School a faith school?
- No. Rowanfield Junior School has no designated religious character.
- Does Rowanfield Junior School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Rowanfield Junior School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Rowanfield Junior School?
- Rowanfield Junior School is part of GLOUCESTERSHIRE LEARNING ALLIANCE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Rowanfield Junior School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Rowanfield Junior School rank locally?
- Rowanfield Junior School ranked 92nd of 209 primary schools in Gloucestershire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 43% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Rowanfield Junior School's absence rate?
- Rowanfield Junior School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Rowanfield Junior School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Rowanfield Junior 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 1 July 2026.