Pupils at Primaries in Cheltenham's Most Deprived Wards Were Four Times as Likely to Be Persistently Absent

How pupil absence at Cheltenham's 28 state primary schools compares with the deprivation of the ward each school is in, and with each school's Ofsted grade, in the 2024/25 school year.

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Cheltenham Open Data compared pupil absence at each of the 28 state primary schools in Cheltenham borough with the deprivation of the ward the school is in. The seven primaries in the town’s five most deprived wards had the seven highest persistent absence rates, all above the Gloucestershire primary average of 11.9%, while Ofsted rated almost every school Good, in the richest and poorest wards alike. Every school’s figures are on the Cheltenham school absence page.

In 2024/25, 22.1% of pupils at primary schools in Cheltenham's five most deprived wards were persistently absent, four times the 5.3% at primaries in the five least deprived wards that have one.

Source: Department for Education pupil absence statistics and MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025.

Key Figures

• 22.1% of pupils at the seven primaries in the five most deprived wards (Oakley, St Mark’s, St Paul’s, Hesters Way and Springbank) were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten.
• 5.3% at the nine primaries in the five least deprived wards with a primary school (Benhall, the Reddings and Fiddler’s Green, Charlton Kings, Prestbury, Warden Hill and Leckhampton).
• 7.2% against 3.5%: the share of all sessions missed in the same two groups.
• 15.1%: the lowest persistent absence rate of any primary in the five most deprived wards, higher than every primary elsewhere in the borough.
• 25 of 28 primaries were rated Good by Ofsted at the end of the school year.

Absence Follows Deprivation

Ranked by the deprivation of their ward, the schools fall into two clear groups. The highest rate was at Oakwood Primary School in Oakley, Cheltenham’s most deprived ward, where 35.7% of pupils were persistently absent. Next were Hesters Way Primary School, which is in Springbank ward, at 27.4%, and Gardners Lane Primary School in St Paul’s, at 25.1%.

At the other end, Warden Hill Primary School, Charlton Kings Infants’ School and Leckhampton Church of England Primary School had the lowest rates, at 2.7%, 2.7% and 3.1%.

It’s the same divide our Two Cheltenhams analysis found in the government’s deprivation rankings, where neighbourhoods half a mile apart sit at opposite ends of England’s league table. The Department for Education’s own national figures show the same pattern for individual pupils: those eligible for free school meals are more than two and a half times as likely to be persistently absent as those who are not.

Ofsted Grades Don’t Split the Same Way

Six of the seven primaries in the most deprived wards were rated Good, the same grade as every primary in the least deprived wards. The two Outstanding schools, Christ Church CofE Primary School and Gloucester Road Primary School, are both in St Peter’s, the sixth most deprived ward, and both had persistent absence below the county average.

Two grades changed during the school year. Naunton Park Primary School in Leckhampton went from Outstanding to Good in October 2024, and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School in Pittville went from Requires improvement to Good in June 2025. Each school’s full inspection history is on its own page.

Notes to Editors

• Method: Each school is placed in the ward that contains its site. Wards are ranked from 1, the most deprived, to 20 by their average Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025 score, as in our Cheltenham wards figures. Group rates are weighted by pupil enrolments, not averages of school rates. Persistent absence is missing 10% or more of possible sessions. Ofsted grades are the overall grade in force at the start and end of the 2024/25 school year. For inspections from September 2024, which graded each area but gave no overall grade, the quality of education grade is used; ungraded inspections keep the previous grade.
• Sources: Department for Education Pupil absence in schools in England, academic year 2024/25; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government English Indices of Deprivation 2025; Ofsted inspection outcomes.
• Caveats: The ward a school is in is not where all its pupils live. These are 28 schools, and the figures show a pattern across them, not why any pupil misses school or what drives a school’s grade. Secondary schools are left out because pupils travel from across the area to reach them, and special schools are left out because their pupils’ needs are very different. Schools in the wider GL50 to GL54 area but outside Cheltenham borough are not included.
• Data and updates: The school absence page updates when the Department for Education publishes new figures, each March for the full school year and each October for the autumn and spring terms. For questions or interviews, use the contact page.

• Data from the Department for Education, the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 and Ofsted, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Last updated 2026-11-12.

Cite This

Please credit Cheltenham Open Data and link to this page. Suggested citation:

Cheltenham Open Data (2026). Pupils at Primaries in Cheltenham's Most Deprived Wards Were Four Times as Likely to Be Persistently Absent. Published 2026-11-13. https://cheltenham-od.uk/news/cheltenham-school-absence-deprivation. Data: Department for Education pupil absence statistics and MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

To embed the chart on your own site, copy this code:

<a href="https://cheltenham-od.uk/news/cheltenham-school-absence-deprivation"><img src="https://cheltenham-od.uk/assets/findings/cheltenham-school-absence-deprivation.svg" alt="Scatter chart of persistent absence at 28 Cheltenham state primaries in 2024/25 against the deprivation rank of each school's ward. The seven schools in the five most deprived wards are all between 15% and 36%, averaging 22.1%. Every other school is at 14% or below, and the nine in the five least deprived wards with a primary average 5.3%. Point shapes show Ofsted grades: 25 Good, 2 Outstanding and 1 Requires improvement." width="640"></a>

The chart and data are free to reuse with credit. The underlying data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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FAQs

Which Cheltenham Primary School Has the Highest Absence?

• Oakwood Primary School in Oakley, where 35.7% of pupils were persistently absent in 2024/25 and 9.8% of sessions were missed.

Do Schools With Better Ofsted Grades Have Lower Absence?

• Not in a way these figures can show. 25 of Cheltenham’s 28 state primaries were rated Good at the end of 2024/25, and their absence rates ranged from 2.7% to 27.4% of pupils persistently absent.

What Is Persistent Absence?

• A pupil is persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of their morning and afternoon sessions, for any reason, including illness.

Can I Use This Chart?

• Yes. Credit Cheltenham Open Data and link to this page. The embed code and a CSV of the figures are in the Cite This section above.