St Peter and St Paul Church Primary School

A small Church of England primary in Chaldon, serving families around Caterham, with a clear emphasis on values-led community life and steadily strengthening classroom practice. The school has built a more ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum, and there is a strong focus on reading from the early years. Pupils typically behave well, routines are calm, and the wider pupil leadership offer is unusually visible for a primary, including roles such as school counsellors and eco-leaders.

The day-to-day culture is framed by five values, courage, wisdom, hope, respect and love, and pupils are expected to use that language in how they treat one another. Behaviour is generally orderly, and movement around the site is described as calm, with breaktimes energetic but structured. Bullying is positioned as something the community tackles actively rather than passively tolerates, and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for the life of the school through leadership roles.

Faith is present as a lived backdrop rather than a bolt-on. The school explicitly welcomes families of different faith backgrounds and those with no faith, while still describing diversity as a strength of the community. Links with the local church are part of the rhythm of the year, and collective worship includes regular involvement from the local Reverend.

Leadership stability is a meaningful context marker here. Rosemary Villajos Burgess is named as headteacher in the most recent graded inspection report, and school governance information also places her start date in April 2019. That timeline matters because the school describes a journey of improvement and curriculum redevelopment, and the current leadership era aligns with that narrative.

This review’s results does not include published Key Stage 2 performance figures or FindMySchool England and local ranking positions for this school, so it is not possible to evidence attainment against England averages in the usual way. The most reliable academic picture therefore comes from the most recent graded inspection evidence and the school’s published curriculum intent.

The 20 and 21 February 2024 Ofsted inspection rated the school Good overall, with Good judgements across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision; safeguarding was found to be effective.

What that means for parents in practical terms is a school where curriculum and classroom routines are broadly secure, with the strongest consistency in core areas and a clear direction of travel in newer foundation subjects. The inspection narrative is particularly positive about how leaders have tightened curriculum sequencing so teachers are clearer on what to teach, when to teach it, and how learning should build.

Teaching is described as most consistent where subject leadership, resources, and assessment routines are already mature. Mathematics is singled out as an area where teachers routinely use assessment information to adjust teaching and address gaps, which tends to correlate with stronger learning security over time, especially for pupils who need quick intervention rather than end-of-unit catch-up.

Reading is treated as a first-order priority. A structured early reading programme is embedded from the early years, staff training is described as effective, and targeted support is in place for pupils who find reading harder so they can keep pace with peers. The implication for families is a school that will usually spot reading fragility early and respond with a consistent approach rather than a patchwork of interventions. Reading for pleasure is also reinforced with a deliberately chosen range of books and regular trips to the public library in Caterham, which is a practical, habit-forming approach to building reading identity.

The main developmental area is consistency across newer foundation subjects. Where curriculum plans are newer, staff confidence and assessment practice are not yet as embedded, and checks on what pupils know can be less precise. For parents, the key question to explore on a visit is how the school is making those newer subjects tangible in the classroom, for example through clearer knowledge checks, stronger retrieval practice, and staff training that tightens subject expertise.

As a primary school, the transition question is about the secondary route from Year 6. In Surrey, choices will usually include local comprehensive options and, for some families, selective routes where applicable. The school’s inspection evidence emphasises a calm learning culture and strong foundations in reading and wider personal development, which generally supports a smoother transition to the demands of Year 7 routines and independent organisation.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Surrey County Council. For children starting in September 2027, applications open from 2 November 2026 and the on-time deadline is 15 January 2027, with offers issued on 16 April 2027.

Demand is clearly high provided for this review. There were 73 applications for 30 offers, a subscription ratio of 2.43 applications per place, and first preference demand also exceeded offers (ratio 1.14). The implication is straightforward: even families who list the school as first choice cannot assume an offer.

Because the school has a Church of England character, families applying under faith-based criteria are directed to complete a supplementary information form alongside the local authority application. This is important, not because it replaces the council form, but because missing supplementary evidence can weaken the category your application is assessed under.

The school also runs open mornings for Reception families, with sessions typically scheduled in the autumn. If you are choosing between several local primaries, attending one is a useful way to test cultural fit and understand how the curriculum has been reshaped.

The pastoral picture is anchored in two strands. First, behaviour expectations are described as clear, with most lessons proceeding without interruption because pupils are eager to learn and routines are well established from the early years. Second, there is an explicit focus on personal development and safety education, including online safety and age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through a structured programme.

There is also a realistic acknowledgement that a small minority of pupils struggle to meet the school’s conduct standards at times, and the improvement work is about making sure additional support is effective so learning is not occasionally disrupted. For families with children who need extra structure, it is worth asking what that support looks like in practice, for example targeted behaviour plans, adult check-ins, and consistent classroom strategies.

Inclusion is a stated strength. Systems to identify needs are described as clear, pupils with special educational needs and disabilities learn the same ambitious curriculum as peers, and teachers adapt teaching and resources most of the time successfully. The area to watch is how consistently external professional support is accessed and used when pupils need more than classroom adaptation.

Extracurricular breadth is not positioned as endless, but it is specific, and that matters more. The school lists clubs that include football for Year 1 and Year 2, a lunchtime French club, and a lunchtime gardening club that returns in the summer term for Year 2. These are concrete opportunities that suit younger pupils and build confidence through routine participation rather than occasional enrichment days.

Wraparound care is provided by a resident partner offering breakfast and after-school options, including a “Wake Up & Go” style morning provision and holiday camps during school breaks. The provision describes playworker-led activities, use of both indoor space and outdoor areas, plus occasional use of the neighbouring village hall for certain activities such as tennis and dance delivered by external providers. For working families, the key implication is that wraparound is an established part of provision rather than an occasional add-on.

Pupil leadership is another distinctive strand. Responsibilities such as eco-leaders link naturally to the wider ethos work in a Church school context, and the school also references pupil counsellor roles, which tends to indicate a deliberate approach to peer support and community contribution.

Start and finish times for Reception are published within the school’s new starter information, with full days running 8.55am to 3.10pm once children are settled into the September routine.

Wraparound care is available via the on-site provider, with breakfast and after-school options plus holiday camps.

• Admission pressure is real. With 73 applications for 30 offers here, competition is the limiting factor for many families, even those who place the school first on their form.

• Not every subject is at the same maturity point. Newer foundation subject curriculums and assessment routines are still being embedded, so day-to-day consistency can vary more outside the strongest areas.

• Behaviour support for a small minority is a continuing focus. Most pupils meet expectations well, but occasional disruption is a known issue the school is working to reduce through more effective targeted support.

• Church school criteria can add paperwork. If you are applying under faith-based criteria, ensure any supplementary evidence is completed alongside the local authority application process.

This is a values-driven Church of England primary with a clear improvement narrative, particularly around curriculum ambition and reading. It suits families who want a calm, community-oriented school where personal development and responsibility are taken seriously, and who are comfortable with a Christian ethos that explicitly welcomes families of other faiths and none. The main challenge is securing a place, so families should shortlist realistically and keep a second option live.