St Martins Church of England Infant School Review 2026: Faith-led start with strong routines and a nurture safety net

This is an infant school, so parents should not expect the same published outcomes profile you see at junior or primary schools with Year 6 end-of-key-stage measures.

External quality indicators therefore matter more. The April 2025 Ofsted inspection graded the school as Good for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

Early reading is an obvious priority. Phonics is described as being delivered consistently, with regular checks on reading, and extra help targeted to pupils who need it so they keep pace with peers.

Writing is treated as a craft built over time. In early years, fine-motor development is emphasised so children build the control needed for letter formation and number work, then practice and feedback are used to improve spelling, punctuation, and grammar as pupils move through the school.

The curriculum intent is ambitious and inclusive. Planning is described as carefully sequenced from early years onwards, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. The practical implication for families is that support is designed to help children access the full offer rather than being pushed to the margins.

The key transition here is from infant to junior. The school is explicit that attendance at the infant school does not automatically move a child into Year 3, families must apply for a junior place separately.

For parents, the practical takeaway is to plan early for Year 3: look at which junior schools you would accept, understand their oversubscription criteria, and treat the infant years as the start of a longer admissions pathway rather than a settled endpoint.

Reception applications are handled through Surrey’s co-ordinated admissions process rather than directly by the school. For September 2026 entry (children born 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022), the on-time application deadline was 15 January 2026, and offer information is stated as being released at 7pm on Thursday 16 April 2026.

The school also sets out late-application handling: late online applications are referenced as being possible until 18 August 2026, with paper applications available via the local authority up to 31 August 2026.

Faith-related criteria can matter for some families. The admissions information notes that families outside the relevant parishes who are on the church roll may be asked to complete supplementary information, while those inside the parishes do not need to.

Demand is strong. 205 applications were recorded for 89 offers, which is roughly 2.3 applications per place.

Parents trying to judge their chances should use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand how your home location aligns with likely priority areas, then sanity-check that against Surrey’s published admissions guidance for your year of entry.

Safeguarding systems are described as effective, and the school also communicates its safeguarding structure clearly, including named safeguarding leads and the expectation that concerns are recorded and escalated promptly.

The school’s wider wellbeing approach links closely to readiness to learn. Pupils are encouraged into responsibility through roles such as prayer leaders and pupil leaders, and personal development is presented as a core priority rather than an add-on.

The Burrow adds a second layer of pastoral scaffolding, aimed at helping children regulate and build the social and emotional foundations needed for classroom learning.

For an infant school, the enrichment picture is better than many parents expect. Play and structured activity at lunchtime are described as energetic and well-organised, with practical options such as skipping ropes, stilt-walking, and football that encourage cooperation and turn-taking.

Clubs are mostly delivered through external providers, and the school is clear that early years children do not currently have after-school clubs.

What makes the offer feel concrete is the specificity: Art Club (run by Rachel Atkinson), Chess Club (run by Pietro Siba), and a Cooking Club delivered through Grow Cook Enjoy, including a Year 2 option. For a child who needs a hook beyond the classroom, these structured, skills-based clubs can be a good fit, especially where confidence grows through visible progress (a drawing portfolio, a chess rating ladder, or cooking practicals).

The school day is clearly set out. Morning entry is 8.45 to 8.55 with registers at 9am, and the end of day is 3.25pm for early years and Key Stage 1.

Wraparound care is available via a partner provider, with breakfast club from 7.30am to 8.40am and after-school care running until 6pm, plus an option through to 4.30pm for families who need shorter cover.

On travel, the school encourages walking, cycling, and scooting, and states that there are no parking facilities at the school. For families who do drive occasionally, the emphasis is on responsible parking and avoiding congestion and idling.

• Inspection trajectory. The most recent inspection profile is Good across all graded areas (April 2025). Families who previously assumed “Outstanding” should read the latest report carefully and ask what has changed since conversion and trust integration.

• Consistency of classroom practice. The improvement points focus on making sure explanations and learning activities are consistently precise across the school, so pupils reliably learn the intended knowledge. If your child needs very clear modelling to thrive, ask how the school is tightening consistency.

• Clubs for the youngest. After-school clubs are not currently available for early years pupils, so working families with younger children may rely more heavily on wraparound provision.

• Infant to junior is not automatic. Children must apply for a Year 3 place separately, so plan ahead and treat junior transfer as a second admissions decision.

This is a structured, caring infant school where routines, early reading, and personal development are taken seriously, and where nurture support is designed into the system rather than bolted on. It suits families who want a Church of England setting that welcomes a broad community, and children who do best when expectations are clear and support is responsive. The main constraint is admissions competition, so families should plan early and keep junior transfer firmly on the horizon.