Oakwood Infant and Nursery School Review 2026, a large infant and nursery with a strong early reading focus

This is an infant school, so parents will not find the standard end of Key Stage 2 performance measures that exist for full primaries. Pupils leave at the end of Year 2 and complete the rest of primary elsewhere.

The most useful “results” indicators here are therefore the quality of early reading, curriculum coherence across Nursery to Year 2, and how quickly pupils build secure basics, particularly phonics, number, language, and early writing stamina.

The official inspection evidence aligns with that focus. The March 2022 inspection confirmed the school continues to be Good.

For parents comparing nearby infant settings, it can help to use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and Comparison Tool to keep notes on what each school publishes about phonics, reading books, and early maths, because headline exam tables are not the deciding factor at this age.

The teaching model is best understood as “structured early literacy, then broad and sequenced subject teaching”. Leaders are described as ambitious for what pupils can achieve and deliberate about what knowledge and skills pupils should learn, starting in Nursery. Some subject leadership capacity was newly introduced around the time of the last inspection, with a specific improvement focus on building subject leaders’ ability to support lesson sequencing and to help governors evaluate curriculum implementation.

Early reading is treated as the core engine of the school. Staff training in phonics is highlighted, and the practical system is clear: children learn sounds rapidly in Nursery, start reading simple books by the end of Reception, and continue building fluency and comprehension across Key Stage 1. Crucially, reading books are matched to the sounds pupils have been taught, and pupils keep the same book until they can read it confidently. That combination, tight matching plus repeated reading, is often what turns decoding into fluency for five to seven year olds.

Reading at school also has a “love of books” layer. The curriculum notes that pupils can take home an additional self-chosen book that may not be fully decodable yet, explicitly to encourage enjoyment and shared reading with families. That is a sensible balance for this age group, provided decodable reading remains the main vehicle for independent practice.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described as effective, with detailed assessment and an emphasis on enabling pupils to remain in class and access the same curriculum as peers, rather than being routinely pulled out. For parents, the implication is that support is designed to keep children included, which often helps confidence and friendship stability in infant settings.

Because pupils leave at the end of Year 2, transition planning matters earlier than in a typical primary. The school states that most children transfer to Alton Park Junior School at age 7, and that the two schools have very close links.

For families, this has two implications:

1. It is worth researching the junior school offer at the same time as the infant decision, because your child’s “primary journey” is split across two institutions.

2. If your child finds change difficult, close linkage between infant and junior settings can reduce anxiety, particularly when routines, vocabulary, and expectations are aligned.

Reception admissions are coordinated by Essex County Council, rather than handled solely by the school. The school’s own admissions page directs families to the local authority route for Reception, with Nursery handled separately through the school.

Reception entry and deadlines

For September 2026 entry, Essex’s published timetable indicates:

• Applications opened in November 2025

• The national closing date was 15 January 2026

• Offers are issued on 16 April 2026

As of 01 February 2026, the application deadline has passed and families are in the waiting period before offer day. For later years, the pattern is typically similar, with autumn term opening and a mid-January deadline, but families should always follow the local authority’s current year timeline.

Demand and likelihood of entry

The school is recorded as oversubscribed, with 69 applications and 47 offers in the latest recorded admissions round, equating to about 1.47 applications per offer. For parents, that signals competition, but not the extreme intensity seen at some urban “hotspot” schools.

Nursery admissions

Nursery starts the term after a child’s third birthday, and Nursery education follows the EYFS, with every child assigned a key worker. The school does not publish Nursery fee figures in a way that should be reproduced as a single headline number; families should use the school’s official Nursery admissions information for the up to date position.

In an infant context, “pastoral” is often code for two things: how adults respond to worries, and how behaviour is handled when children are still learning social rules. Pupils are described as confident to talk to adults if they have a problem, and the school’s safeguarding culture is framed around staff training, swift response to concerns, and effective work with outside agencies. The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school’s own language about respect, choice, and repair suggests that behaviour is approached as a taught skill. That typically suits children who need clear scripts and predictable responses, and it can also reduce the “big feelings spirals” that some four to seven year olds experience after an argument or mistake.

In infant schools, enrichment works best when it is tangible and regular, rather than a vague list. Oakwood’s offer is specific.

Outdoor learning

Forest school activities on site are explicitly referenced as a route to teaching practical skills such as collaborating on shared projects. With a wildlife area and its own wood, this can be more than the occasional “muddy day”; it can be part of the weekly rhythm for classes, which tends to improve confidence and language for children who learn best through real experiences.

Clubs and activities

The school publishes a detailed after-school clubs list, which includes several clubs that are more distinctive than the usual infant staples. Examples include Wildlife Club, Computer Club, Construction Club, and Sports Challenge Club, alongside Dance Club, Library Club, Singing Club, and a targeted Phonics Club invitation for some pupils.

One club detail that signals practical planning is Cooking Club, with a £1 weekly contribution towards ingredients and pupils taking food home the next day. That is a small thing, but it tells parents this is hands-on and routine, not a one-off “theme week” activity.

Visitors, workshops, and community links

The school calendar shows regular themed weeks and visiting experiences across year groups, for example curriculum-linked workshops and visits. The implication is a curriculum that tries to make topics concrete for younger children, which often improves vocabulary and engagement.

The school publishes gate and day timings clearly. Gates open at 8.20am and pupils are expected to be in class by 8.30am; afternoon collection runs from 2.50pm with gates closed at 3.10pm. Nursery timings are also published, with morning session, lunch, and afternoon session set out on the Nursery page.

Wraparound care matters to working families. Breakfast club is referenced on the school site, but the full wraparound detail is not consistently set out across all pages, so families should confirm the current before-school and after-school arrangements directly with the school office.

For travel, this is a residential part of Holland-on-Sea. Most families will be walking or doing short car drop-offs. If you are planning a move specifically for admissions, remember that allocation is handled by the local authority and can change year to year based on the applicant pool.

• Infant-only structure. Children leave at the end of Year 2. That can be a positive if you like the idea of a junior school designed specifically for ages 7 to 11, but it does mean one extra transition compared with a single primary.

• Oversubscription. The school is recorded as oversubscribed, and the latest recorded figures show more applications than offers. If you are relying on admission for a move, treat it as competitive and plan alternatives.

• Governance and curriculum scrutiny. External evaluation identified that governors had less clarity about how curriculum organisation translates into impact, and that newer subject leaders needed further development to support sequencing and implementation. This is not unusual in primary settings, but parents who care about curriculum precision may want to ask how this has progressed since 2022.

• Club places can be tight. The school’s own parent feedback commentary suggests demand for clubs can exceed places. If after-school activities are a key childcare or confidence-building need for your child, ask how allocation works.

This is a large, well-organised infant and nursery school with clear routines, a strong emphasis on early reading, and an outdoor learning offer that is unusually substantial for the phase. It suits families who want a structured start to literacy and behaviour, and who value practical experiences such as forest school, visitors, and hands-on clubs alongside classroom learning.

Who it suits: children who thrive with predictable routines, daily phonics, and a calm behaviour culture, plus families planning a linked route through to the local junior school. The limiting factor is admission competition, rather than the educational offer once a place is secured.