Race Leys Infant School Review 2026: A small infant school with a clear early reading focus

As an infant school, Race Leys does not sit Key Stage 2 tests, so you should not expect the same published end-of-primary metrics parents see for 4 to 11 primaries. The most reliable indicators here are inspection evidence on curriculum quality, early reading, and how consistently learning is adapted for different needs.

The latest Ofsted inspection (3 and 4 July 2023) judged the school Requires Improvement overall, with Good for personal development and early years provision.

Within that judgement, early reading is treated as a priority. Phonics teaching is described as strong, and most pupils read with fluency, supported by books matched closely to the sounds they are learning. The key improvement point is frequency and consistency of practice for some pupils, since not all pupils read with those matched books regularly enough to build fluency as quickly as they could.

The other major academic implication is inclusion. The curriculum is described as sequenced and coherent, but not always implemented in a way that meets the needs of all pupils. Too often, pupils are expected to do the same work, which can lead to disengagement, reliance on adult support, and weaker progress for some pupils, including pupils with SEND.

The strongest picture emerges in Reception. Early years provision is described as giving children a good start, with an ambitious, well sequenced curriculum, calm learning conditions, and staff who adapt learning opportunities so children can show what they know. Expectations for behaviour in Reception are also described as clearer and better established than in the rest of the school.

In Key Stage 1, the improvement agenda is more about consistency than intent. A sequenced curriculum only translates into strong outcomes when teachers consistently pitch and adapt work so pupils can access learning without switching off or depending heavily on adult prompting. For parents of children who may need more precise scaffolding, it is sensible to ask how teaching is adapted in practice, not just what policies say.

Reading culture is also a clear theme. The inspection references a refurbished library and visiting authors, both of which can help make books feel social and exciting rather than purely instructional.

Because Race Leys is an infant school, most pupils move on at the end of Year 2. Race Leys Infant School sits alongside Race Leys Junior School locally, and the infant school aligns term dates with the junior school to help families manage childcare and routines.

Parents should still treat Year 3 transfer as a separate admissions step in Warwickshire, rather than assuming it happens automatically, even where schools are closely linked.

For children who benefit from continuity, ask how transition is handled in practice, for example shared events, buddying, or curriculum handover between Year 2 and Year 3 staff.

Reception entry is coordinated by Warwickshire County Council, and the school is a community school, so Warwickshire is the admissions authority.

The current application pattern suggests competition for places. For the Reception entry route there were 108 applications for 48 offers, which is 2.25 applications per place, and the route is marked Oversubscribed. This points to demand that can make outcomes sensitive to admission criteria and tie-breaks. (No distance data is provided for the last offer in miles for this school.)

For September 2026 Reception entry in Warwickshire, the application window opens on 1 November 2025 and closes on 15 January 2026, with offers issued on 16 April 2026.

If you are deciding between several local schools, FindMySchool’s Map Search can still be useful to sanity-check practicalities such as walk time and day-to-day feasibility, even where a specific last offered distance is not available.

Pastoral care is one of the stronger strands of the evidence base. The inspection describes staff as caring about every pupil and prioritising emotional support, and it notes that most pupils feel happy and safe.

However, wellbeing in infant settings is closely tied to predictable routines and calm transitions. The inspection raises concerns about behaviour expectations outside early years, including disruptions in lessons and less consistent management at playtime and lunchtime. For parents, the practical question is how consistently routines are now applied across all classes and all adults, particularly around entry to the building and less structured times.

Ofsted confirmed safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Clubs are a visible part of the offer, and the school names a range that is unusually broad for an infant school. The after-school list includes football, archery, tag rugby, dodgeball and gymnastics, alongside art, dance, Lego, cooking, choir and Yoga Bears.

The inspection also highlights clubs such as coding, multi-skills, relaxation and imagination, plus pupil leadership roles including the school council and a friendship crew. For younger pupils, these roles can be more than symbolic; they provide simple, age-appropriate practice in turn-taking, responsibility, and helping others, which can support behaviour and confidence back in the classroom.

OPAL play, with the school reporting GOLD standard recognition, is another distinctive feature. The most meaningful implication for parents is not the label itself but what it typically signals, namely more intentional resourcing of play, more varied equipment, and adults trained to support high-quality outdoor play for all children.

The school day runs from 8:40am to 3:10pm, and after-school clubs are stated as running from 3:10pm to 4:10pm. Morning registration closes at 8:50am, and afternoon registration closes at 1:10pm.

Term dates are published on the school website, with a stated aim of alignment with Race Leys Junior School to help families coordinate childcare.

• Requires Improvement judgement. The latest inspection identifies curriculum implementation and behaviour consistency as key improvement needs, so families should ask what has changed since July 2023 and how progress is being tracked.

• Behaviour consistency beyond Reception. Early years practice is described as stronger than the rest of the school, and some lesson disruption is noted. This can matter for children who need calm, predictable classrooms to thrive.

• Support for pupils with SEND. The inspection raises concerns that work is not always adapted precisely enough, which can lead to over-reliance on adults and weaker engagement. Parents of children needing tailored scaffolding should probe this carefully.

Race Leys Infant School has a clear pastoral intent, a strong early reading focus, and a notably broad set of clubs for an infant setting, with play positioned as a serious part of school life. The latest inspection makes it equally clear that consistency is the work in progress, particularly around behaviour expectations and making sure learning is matched closely enough for all pupils, including those with SEND.

Who it suits: families who want a local community infant school with a caring ethos and structured phonics, and who are comfortable asking detailed questions about how classroom routines and curriculum adaptation are now being embedded across Key Stage 1.