Katherine Semar Infant School
Ross Close, Saffron Walden, CB11 4DU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SAFFRON ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julie Puxley
- Sponsor
- Saffron Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North West Essex
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 180
- Pupils on roll
- 180
- URN
- 141574
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01799521720
About this school
Katherine Semar Infant School is a primary academy in Saffron Walden. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 180 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Katherine Semar 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
Ofsted did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Katherine Semar 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 | 5.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 181 |
| 2023/24 | 180 |
| 2024/25 | 180 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Katherine Semar Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.7% | 10.6% | 180 | — |
| Katherine Semar Junior School | 79% | 3.1% | 12.9% | 256 | 0.0 miles |
| St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden | 94% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 206 | 0.6 miles |
| R A Butler Infant School | — | 3.3% | 9.2% | 271 | 0.7 miles |
| R A Butler Junior School | 82% | 3.1% | 12% | 384 | 0.7 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 65% | 4.9% | 18.9% | 224 | 1.2 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)
- 10.56%
- English as an additional language
- 12.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.72%
- Persistent absence
- 6.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Katherine Semar Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Thomas More Catholic Primary School, Saffron Walden0.6 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
R A Butler Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
R A Butler Junior School0.7 miles
Primary · Saffron Walden
-
St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School1.2 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 Junior School Primary
- R A Butler Infant 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 ages does Katherine Semar Infant School teach?
- Katherine Semar Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Saffron Walden.
- Who is the headteacher of Katherine Semar Infant School?
- The headteacher of Katherine Semar Infant School is Mrs Julie Puxley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Katherine Semar Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Katherine Semar 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 Katherine Semar Infant School?
- Katherine Semar Infant School has 180 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Katherine Semar Infant School full?
- Katherine Semar Infant School has capacity for 180 pupils and 180 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 Katherine Semar Infant School a faith school?
- No. Katherine Semar Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Katherine Semar Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Katherine Semar Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Katherine Semar Infant School part of an academy trust?
- Katherine Semar 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 Katherine Semar Infant School's absence rate?
- Katherine Semar Infant School's overall absence rate is 3.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Katherine Semar 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 Katherine Semar 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 1 July 2026.