Crook Log Primary School Review 2026: High-attaining Bexley primary with a busy clubs timetable

This is a large, mixed, community primary in Bexleyheath, taking children from Nursery through to Year 6 (ages 3 to 11). The tone is purposeful and orderly, with a clear emphasis on relationships, pupil voice, and calm routines. The current head teacher is Mrs Pat Barratt.

Academic outcomes are a headline strength on the published data available. In 2024, 79.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. The school’s scaled scores are also well above the national benchmark, with 107 in reading, 108 in maths, and 107 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Demand looks consistently high. For the Reception entry route, there were 174 applications for 53 offers, which equates to 3.28 applications per place. That competitiveness shapes the practical reality for families planning a move into the area.

The school’s own messaging centres on confidence, skills, and aiming high, with a strong future-facing slant in the language it uses for pupils’ aspirations. That comes through in the way leadership roles are embedded, not as occasional privileges but as part of the expected experience for many pupils. Pupil ambassadors, for example, are part of day-to-day systems such as supporting younger pupils at lunchtime, and wellbeing ambassadors run a dedicated wellbeing club.

Day-to-day culture is described in official evidence as friendly and inclusive, with pupils encouraged to share views and discuss topical issues in an age-appropriate way. For parents, the implication is a setting that tries to balance clear expectations with space for pupils to form opinions, speak up, and take responsibility. That tends to suit children who like structure but also benefit from having roles and routines that give them status and purpose.

Nursery is part of the school community rather than a bolt-on. It matters in practical terms, because transition into Reception is framed as an information-rich handover, including links with previous early years providers so that staff have a clear picture of children’s starting points.

Crook Log’s primary outcomes place it comfortably above England averages on the headline combined measure. In 2024, 79.67% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, versus an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 32.67% achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with an England average of 8%.

The detail behind those headlines also reads strongly. Reading is 84% at expected standard, maths is 76%, and grammar, punctuation and spelling is 78%. Science is 88% at the expected standard. Scaled scores of 107 (reading), 108 (maths), and 107 (grammar, punctuation and spelling) are all clearly above the national reference point of 100.

Rankings on the FindMySchool methodology reinforce that picture. Ranked 2,947th in England and 5th in Bexleyheath for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), this sits above England average, placing it comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

A sensible way to read this as a parent is to separate “strength” from “fit”. Results suggest a school where core academic habits are built effectively for most pupils. Fit comes down to how your child responds to pace, routines, and the expectations that tend to accompany a results profile like this.

Reading has clear strategic weight here. Children start learning to read early in Reception, and staff training is focused on consistent delivery so that pupils practise sounds and build fluency through structured sessions. That is the kind of operational detail that often correlates with strong KS2 reading outcomes, particularly for pupils who benefit from clear routines and frequent retrieval.

Across the curriculum, the overall design is described as logically sequenced, with explicit, small-step teaching in maths as a practical example of how ideas are introduced and then applied. Where this matters for families is in predictability. Children who like knowing what success looks like, and who learn well when methods are modelled carefully, often thrive in classrooms that work this way.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is an important part of the picture. Processes for early identification and targeted staff training are part of the established approach, including staff learning from external speech and language input so that classroom support aligns with specialist advice. For families already thinking about additional needs, that is a useful indicator of how seriously the school takes consistent classroom practice, not just referrals.

As a state primary, Crook Log’s “next steps” are primarily shaped by local admissions and family preference, rather than a single destination route. The most practical way to plan is to look at local secondary options in Bexley and nearby, then map likely travel times and admissions criteria well before Year 6.

Because the school has Nursery on site, there is also a “next step” at Reception entry. Families considering Nursery should look beyond the early years offer itself and think about whether they want continuity through to Year 6, or whether they expect to move to another primary later. Nursery places do not automatically remove the need to follow the required admissions process for Reception, so it is worth treating Reception applications as a separate planning track.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Bexley Council rather than directly by the school. For September 2026 entry, the published application window runs from 01 September 2025 to 15 January 2026. Bexley’s timeline also states that National Offer Day notifications are issued on 16 April 2026 for on-time applicants (emails for online applications, letters for paper applications).

Competition for places is evident in the numbers available for the Reception entry route. With 174 applications for 53 offers, demand sits at 3.28 applications per place. In practice, that means families should assume admissions will be criteria-led and that late applications are unlikely to help.

Open events are clearly signposted. Reception open days are listed as 13 November 2025 and 08 January 2026 (both at 9:30). Nursery open days are listed as 22 January 2026, 26 February 2026, and 17 March 2026 (also at 9:30). If those dates have passed by the time you are reading, the pattern is still useful, it suggests the school typically runs open sessions across late autumn and early spring, and families should check the latest calendar directly with the school.

Parents comparing options can use the FindMySchoolMap Search to understand realistic travel patterns from their home address and to sanity-check day-to-day logistics before relying on a preference strategy.

Pastoral systems are framed around safety, trusted adults, and calm behaviour norms. The latest Ofsted inspection, carried out on 17 and 18 April 2024, confirmed the school remains Good and stated that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

A useful detail for parents is how wellbeing is operationalised. The school uses formal pupil roles (including wellbeing ambassadors) and purposeful clubs to make wellbeing part of routine life rather than a one-off theme. That can particularly suit children who are motivated by responsibility and enjoy belonging to a team or role.

This is an area where Crook Log provides unusually concrete information, including structured timetables for lunch and after-school options.

After school, the programme includes STEPS Performing Arts Club (Years 3 to 6), Judo (Years 1 to 6), Games Club (Years 2 to 5), French Club (Years 1 and 2), hockey (Years 3 to 6), Tag Rugby (Years 3 to 6), and multiple football options including the school football team and an additional football club. For families, the implication is choice without needing to invent logistics yourself. A consistent weekly structure makes it easier to build routines, particularly for working parents.

Lunch clubs widen the offer further. Options listed include Chess Club, Creative writing club, Gardening Club (linked to Forest School), Crochet Club, KS2 Karaoke Club, Art Club (Years 5 and 6), and a Wellbeing Club with a longer lunchtime slot. Even small details like this tell you something about the experience pupils get, it is not just sport, there is also creative, practical, and confidence-building activity baked into the week.

Official evidence also points to clubs such as gymnastics, choir, karaoke, and judo, and notes that pupils value the range available.

The school publishes a detailed day structure. Gates open at 8:45, with the official start at 8:55. Home time is listed as 3:15 for Key Stage 1 and 3:20 for Key Stage 2, with a published total weekly time of 32 hours 30 minutes. Nursery sessions and end times are also set out clearly.

For families needing wraparound, the school advertises breakfast and after-school provision, although the core page is light on operational specifics in the content available. The most reliable next step is to confirm days, hours, and booking arrangements directly before relying on it for childcare planning.

• Competition for places. Reception demand is high, at 3.28 applications per place on the published entry-route figures. That makes a strong case for careful preference planning rather than assuming a local place will be available.

• SEND consistency. The school has clear intent and training around SEND support, but official evidence also highlights that checking pupils’ understanding precisely enough is an area to keep sharpening. For parents of children with additional needs, it is worth asking how progress checks and adaptations work day to day for your child.

• Curriculum delivery variation in some subjects. External evidence notes that in a few developing foundation subjects, delivery is not always as clear as it needs to be for secure recall. Families who prioritise a uniformly strong foundation curriculum across every subject may want to explore how this is being addressed.

• Nursery planning. Nursery is part of the school, but Reception admissions remain a formal, criteria-led process. Families should plan for Nursery and Reception as two separate admissions steps rather than assuming one guarantees the other.

Crook Log Primary School combines above-average outcomes with a well-organised enrichment timetable and a structured approach to reading and learning. It suits families who want a large primary with clear routines, strong core results, and plenty of optional clubs across sport, creative activity, and pupil leadership. The biggest constraint is not the offer, it is admission competition at Reception, so planning early matters.