Ofsted: Good trending_up High Demand emoji_events #27 in West Berkshire public Top 58% UK

Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Mitch Warrender

location_onThatcham, RG18 9PT

language Visit Website phone 1635862600

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

188

school

Expected Standard

61%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.6x

summarize

Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is a Voluntary controlled school primary school in Thatcham, serving ages 5-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Highly competitive: 1.6× more applications than places — plan well ahead. Ranks in the top 58% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school in Thatcham, West Berkshire, admitting pupils aged 5-11. The school has approximately 203 pupils on roll, of whom 3% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 61% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined. The school ranks #27 of 53 primaries in West Berkshire and #10,117 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.6× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 21.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

61%

LA 56%

Reading77% LA 72%

Writing71% LA 65%

Maths71% LA 68%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

67%

LA 55%England 61%

Reading75% LA 73% · Eng 74%

Writing75% LA 65% · Eng 72%

Maths67% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

102

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

70%

LA 54%England 60%

Reading85% LA 71% · Eng 73%

Writing81% LA 64% · Eng 71%

Maths85% LA 69% · Eng 73%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

2.0

Read

LA 0.1

-0.4 to 4.4

-0.2

Write

LA -0.8

-2.5 to 2.1

-0.8

Maths

LA -0.8

-3.1 to 1.5

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

80%

LA 62%England 65%

Reading88% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing84% LA 77% · Eng 78%

Maths92% LA 73% · Eng 79%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

113

Progress (0 = national avg)

4.0

Read

LA 0.2

1.5 to 6.4

0.3

Write

LA -0.1

-1.9 to 2.6

1.0

Maths

LA -0.9

-1.1 to 3.1

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

77%

LA 65%

Reading90% LA 76%

Writing83% LA 78%

Maths80% LA 72%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.6

Read

LA 0.1

-0.5 to 3.7

-0.2

Write

LA -0.2

-2.3 to 1.9

0.7

Maths

LA -0.6

-1.2 to 2.6

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

19 March 2024

Inspection Report

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10 October 2018

Inspection Report

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06 November 2014

Inspection Report

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15 January 2013

Inspection Report

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18 November 2009

Inspection Report

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09 November 2006

Inspection Report

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18 September 2000

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2018-10-10

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-11-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2009-11-18

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 203 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	203	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	203	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	195	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	196	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	195	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	188	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	188	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	187	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	182	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	181	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	178	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	177	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	176	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	177	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	186	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	186	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	183	0	0.0%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	184	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	180	2	1.1%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	180	2	1.1%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	191	1	0.5%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	192	2	1.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	190	3	1.6%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	201	4	2.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	203	2	1.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	197	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 10 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 8 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 2 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

98.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

98.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

25.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree60%

agree33%

disagree3%

strongly disagree3%

don't know3%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree70%

agree25%

disagree5%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree50%

agree28%

don't know3%

not applicable20%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

yes35%

no65%

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

strongly agree50%

agree43%

disagree7%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree53%

agree35%

disagree10%

don't know3%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree65%

agree30%

disagree3%

don't know3%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree60%

agree35%

disagree3%

don't know3%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree65%

agree33%

don't know3%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree43%

agree55%

disagree3%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree58%

agree40%

don't know3%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes98%

no3%

Top Primary Schools in West Berkshire

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery

Good

location_on Newbury, RG14 1TS

emoji_events #1 in LA

Theale C.E. Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Reading, RG7 5AS

emoji_events #2 in LA

Birch Copse Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Reading, RG31 5LN

emoji_events #3 in LA

Bradfield C.E. Primary School

Good

location_on Reading, RG7 6HR

emoji_events #4 in LA

Enborne C.E. Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Newbury, RG20 0JU

emoji_events #5 in LA

Streatley C.E. Voluntary Controlled School

Good

location_on Reading, RG8 9QL

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in West Berkshire arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in West Berkshire

Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery

Theale C.E. Primary School

Birch Copse Primary School

Bradfield C.E. Primary School

Enborne C.E. Primary School

Streatley C.E. Voluntary Controlled School