Crawley Ridge Infant School Review 2026: A well-organised infant setting with strong early reading and a new nursery

For infant schools, the most useful outcomes are typically phonics and early reading progress, plus how well pupils build number sense and writing stamina by Year 2. Key Stage 2 measures and national ranking fields are not provided, which is common for infant-only schools because they do not have Year 6 statutory results.

What can be said confidently, using official inspection evidence and the school’s published curriculum information, is that early reading is treated as a priority. Staff training, consistent phonics teaching, and careful book matching are highlighted as key mechanisms for helping pupils become fluent readers. This emphasis is also reflected in the school website’s prominent signposting of its phonics programme and home reading resources.

For parents comparing schools, the practical implication is that Crawley Ridge appears set up to reduce the common early gap between “children who already read at home” and “children who are just starting”, by using structured phonics and targeted support for those who need extra practice.

Teaching here is best understood as “early years depth with Key Stage 1 structure”. The nursery and Reception approach is explicitly designed to build curiosity and engagement through carefully sequenced activities and adult questioning. That kind of teaching is a marker of a school that wants children to talk, explain, and try ideas out loud, rather than simply complete worksheets.

Early reading and phonics

Reading is positioned as a whole-school priority. Training, assessment, and matching reading books to pupils’ phonic knowledge are all cited as part of the system. The benefit to families is straightforward: when phonics is consistent across classes, children who struggle early are more likely to be identified quickly and given practice that is actually aligned to what they have been taught.

The school website highlights “Essential Letters and Sounds” within its learning section, which signals a structured approach to phonics and early reading instruction, and it also references “Oxford Owl e-library” as a home resource.

Curriculum breadth at infant stage

A common parent worry at infant level is whether a strong focus on reading crowds out the wider curriculum. The school’s curriculum documents and inspection evidence point the other way: reading is central, but there is also an emphasis on a broad range of subjects and knowledge-building. The inspection evidence describes an ambitious curriculum overall, with particularly strong sequencing in early years, and notes that some subject planning (such as art and design technology) was still being refined at the time of inspection.

What that means in day-to-day terms is that parents should expect a curriculum that is still evolving in places, but with clear intent, and a leadership team actively tightening sequencing so that what children learn in nursery and Reception is built on coherently in Year 1 and Year 2.

As an infant school, the main transition is into Year 3 at junior school. Crawley Ridge Infant School explicitly prepares families for this by providing application information during Year 2 and pointing parents towards Surrey’s junior and secondary admissions information.

For families, the key implication is that you should not assume progression is automatic. Even if a child attends the nursery, you still need to apply for a Reception place, and junior school applications are a separate process again. The school has published reminders that nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place, which is an important detail for planning.

Admissions are coordinated through Surrey, with Reception as the main point of entry. The school describes itself as an “own admission authority” academy within The Alliance Multi-Academy Trust, with a capacity of 180 pupils across Reception to Year 2 and a Published Admission Number of 60.

Demand and competitiveness

The structured results shows Reception demand that is meaningfully above capacity. For the relevant admissions cycle recorded there were 195 applications for 59 offers, which equates to 3.31 applications per place. The school is listed as oversubscribed. (Where offer numbers do not align exactly with the Published Admission Number, it can reflect a combination of entry timing, late offers, and the mechanics of local authority allocation across the year, rather than a different headline capacity.)

In practical terms, families should treat admission as competitive and plan accordingly, especially if you are relying on proximity or hoping for a late movement. Using FindMySchool’s Map Search tool can help you sanity-check logistics and the realism of your plan, particularly if you are house hunting and trying to shortlist schools by travel time rather than by guesswork.

Key dates for September 2026 entry

The school publishes specific dates for the September 2026 Reception intake. These include tours running from September 2025 to January 2026, the application window opening on 03 November 2025, the closing date for on-time applications on 15 January 2026, and national offer day notifications on 16 April 2026. The deadline to accept or decline offers is listed as 30 April 2026.

What to watch for in the paperwork

The school’s admissions page signposts that, alongside the local authority application, a supplementary form is needed if applying under the criterion for children of staff. Families considering this route should check the published arrangements carefully so they do not miss a school-side submission while focusing only on the local authority form.

Pastoral care at infant stage is mostly about predictability, trusted adults, and giving children the language to manage feelings and friendships. The school’s stated ethos and inspection evidence point to a setting where adults prioritise children feeling safe and secure, and where inappropriate behaviour is described as rare.

The inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

A practical pastoral detail for families is site safety at handover times. The school’s published guidance emphasises that children are not permitted to leave the site without an attendant adult, and it also signals constraints on car access, including the driveway not being for general public use unless authorised. This is the kind of policy that can feel strict until you have a child who suddenly bolts at pick-up time, then you appreciate the clarity.

An infant school’s clubs programme should be judged on two things: whether it is manageable for younger children, and whether it gives variety beyond “more of the same”. Crawley Ridge frames its clubs as provider-led, using school facilities, usually running for around ten weeks and often open across multiple year groups (with eligibility checks).

Specific examples of what this looks like in practice include:

• Playball, a sports-skills club designed for age-appropriate net and wall games, catching and hitting games, turn-taking, and sportsmanship.

• A science club offering, with school communications referencing Mad Science sessions for Year 1 and Year 2.

The wider “beyond the classroom” picture also includes participation in local community events and school-led activities such as assemblies and charity fundraising, which matters because it builds confidence and social awareness in a developmentally appropriate way for this age group.

School day timings

The school publishes clear timings by phase. Nursery doors open at 9.00 with a 9.05 start and a 15.00 finish. Reception and Key Stage 1 doors open at 8.35 with an 8.45 start and a 15.00 finish, with lunch periods outlined separately for Reception and Key Stage 1.

Wraparound care

Wraparound is available in two forms:

• An on-site after-school option, 5 O’clock Club, run by infant school staff and typically based in the Nurture Hub and or main hall, with a light snack and drink provided.

• Before-and-after school provision via Graitney Club, run by the junior school and available to children attending both schools, with published session pricing and notes that spaces are limited.

When judging fit, it is worth asking not only “is wraparound offered?” but also “is it reliably available?” because popular clubs can quickly become a bottleneck for working families.

Travel and on-site practicalities

The school actively encourages walking, scooting, or cycling, and it has a designated scooter and bike park accessed from Crawley Ridge.

For drivers, the school’s published safety messaging asks families to park and drive considerately near the site, and it reiterates that the driveway inside the gates is not for public use unless authorised.

• Competitive entry. Demand data indicates more than three applications per place in the recorded cycle, and the school is oversubscribed. If you are planning a move, build in a realistic Plan B and keep an eye on Surrey’s coordinated timelines.

• Nursery does not equal Reception. The school explicitly reminds families that nursery attendance does not automatically secure a Reception place, so you must still apply through the normal route.

• Curriculum refinement in progress. External review evidence describes rapid improvement work under new leadership and a more ambitious curriculum, while also flagging that sequencing in some subjects was still being tightened at the time of inspection. For many families this is reassuring, it suggests a school still improving rather than standing still, but it does mean some areas may continue to evolve.

• Wraparound capacity can be the limiting factor. The school signposts that some wraparound provision is popular and spaces are limited, which can matter as much as the school day itself for working parents.

Crawley Ridge Infant School is a structured, early-years-led setting that prioritises safety, reading, and a calm culture for young children. Leadership since 2021 has focused on raising standards and strengthening curriculum coherence, and the current inspection picture supports a school that is well run with positive behaviour and effective safeguarding.

Best suited to families who want clear routines, a strong early reading emphasis, and practical wraparound options, and who can plan early for admissions in an oversubscribed context.