Cheddar First School
Hillfield, The Hayes, Cheddar, BS27 3HN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- WESSEX LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Suzanne Smith
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Wells and Mendip Hills
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 300
- Pupils on roll
- 358
- URN
- 147822
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01934742546
About this school
Cheddar First School is a primary academy in Cheddar. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 358 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Cheddar First School, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Cheddar First 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 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 326 |
| 2023/24 | 333 |
| 2024/25 | 352 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cheddar First 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 | — | 6.3% | 18.6% | 358 | — |
| Axbridge Church of England First School Academy | — | 3% | 16.6% | 177 | 1.6 miles |
| Draycott & Rodney Stoke Church of England First School | — | 7.2% | 12.3% | 70 | 1.8 miles |
| Shipham Church of England First School | — | 4.3% | 4.6% | 82 | 2.7 miles |
| Weare Academy First School | — | 3.9% | 11.6% | 149 | 3.0 miles |
| Winscombe Primary School | 66% | 5% | 8.9% | 209 | 3.5 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)
- 18.6%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 6.25%
- Persistent absence
- 14.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Axbridge Church of England First School Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Axbridge
-
Draycott & Rodney Stoke Church of England First School1.8 miles
Primary · Draycott
-
Shipham Church of England First School2.7 miles
Primary · Winscombe
-
Weare Academy First School3.0 miles
Primary · Axbridge
-
Winscombe Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Winscombe
Other schools in Cheddar
- Fairlands Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- The Kings of Wessex Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Cheddar First School teach?
- Cheddar First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Cheddar.
- Who is the headteacher of Cheddar First School?
- The headteacher of Cheddar First School is Mrs Suzanne Smith, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Cheddar First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cheddar First 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 Cheddar First School?
- Cheddar First School has 358 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Cheddar First School full?
- Cheddar First School has capacity for 300 pupils and 358 on roll (119%), 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 Cheddar First School a faith school?
- No. Cheddar First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Cheddar First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Cheddar First School as having nursery classes.
- Is Cheddar First School part of an academy trust?
- Cheddar First School is part of WESSEX LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Cheddar First School's absence rate?
- Cheddar First School's overall absence rate is 6.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Cheddar First 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 Cheddar First 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 10 July 2026.