Wallace Fields Infant School and Nursery Review 2026: Outstanding early years and Key Stage 1, with wraparound that genuinely helps working families

For an infant school, parents often want simple reassurance on standards and readiness for the next stage, rather than GCSE-style metrics.

What you can use instead is the strength of the inspection profile and the school’s published curriculum intent. The latest Ofsted inspection rated Wallace Fields Infant School and Nursery Outstanding overall (inspection date 30 November 2021), with Outstanding judgements recorded for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The school also sets out a broad curriculum model, which matters because strong infant education is about more than early reading and number. Its curriculum approach describes coverage across English, mathematics, science and computing, alongside humanities and the arts, with personal, social and health education and physical education built in.

A helpful way to interpret this, in parent terms, is readiness. A well-sequenced curriculum in Reception to Year 2 tends to show up as children who can focus, listen, follow instructions, speak confidently in groups, and use early literacy and number skills without anxiety. That is the platform pupils need before they move on to a junior school setting.

Parents comparing local options can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub and Comparison Tool to look at neighbouring schools side by side, then use this review to judge fit, wraparound, and the quality of early years and Key Stage 1 delivery.

The curriculum framing is explicit, and there is evidence of practical implementation rather than just broad statements. The school describes an “E-Curriculum” designed to build skills for future success, and it publishes subject-level information to explain what is taught and why.

A clear example of how learning is made concrete is the Nature Explorer programme. The school’s curriculum materials describe sessions that take children outdoors for structured, play-based learning such as scavenger hunts, woodland crafts and den making, with an emphasis on problem solving, teamwork, safe risk-taking, and independence.

The implication is that pupils are practising the learning behaviours that later underpin writing stamina, mathematical reasoning, and participation in class discussion, not just collecting nice experiences.

Music is another area with detail behind it. The school has a music room and states it uses specialist music teaching. Its published music development information also points to a Year 2 choir that meets weekly and performs through the year, plus an after-school Music Club for Years 1 and 2.

For many children, singing and rhythm work are more than enrichment, they support language development, listening, memory, and confidence in front of others.

Because this is an infant school, the key transition is from Year 2 to junior school. Wallace Fields is explicit that the vast majority of pupils move on to Wallace Fields Junior School, and it notes strong links designed to support a smooth transition.

In practice, families should treat Year 2 as a preparatory year for the greater independence expected in junior school. You want to see children who can manage their belongings, follow multi-step instructions, self-regulate in a larger playground, and sustain attention for longer periods. The school’s emphasis on routines, outdoor learning, music, and a broad curriculum is aligned with those outcomes.

For families whose child is joining via nursery, it is important to remember the standard system rule for England: nursery attendance does not automatically create a right to a Reception place. Reception applications are still made through the local authority admissions process, with published deadlines.

The headline message is simple, apply early and assume competition.

For Reception entry, the published admission number for 2026 to 2027 is 60. The school’s admissions page states that applications opened on 3 November 2025 and must be submitted by 15 January 2026, under Surrey’s coordinated admissions scheme.

Demand indicators underline why this matters. The available demand data for Reception shows 251 applications for 60 offers. That ratio is the practical reason to be organised, check deadlines, and be realistic about outcomes.

The school also provides useful operational detail about how Reception starts. Children can start full time in the Autumn term, and those with birthdays between 1 January and 31 August can choose part-time mornings in Autumn before moving to full time from Spring term.

For nursery entry, the school advertises places for ages 2 to 4 for September 2026 and indicates that tours are offered, with new tour dates for Spring 2026 to be published on the school site.

Do not assume the nursery route simplifies Reception entry, treat nursery and Reception as related but separate decisions.

Parents worried about distance-based outcomes should use FindMySchoolMap Search to check their precise distance from the school gate and understand how that compares with historic offer patterns in the area. Even where a school is nearby, competition can still be tight.

In infant settings, pastoral care is mostly about consistency, early identification, and family communication. Wallace Fields publishes a substantial safeguarding and wellbeing framework through its policies and staffing structure. Its deputy headteacher is explicitly listed as the designated safeguarding lead, and safeguarding leadership is reinforced through named deputy safeguarding leads in policy documents.

For children with additional needs, the school’s SEND information describes a mainstream inclusive approach, with parents encouraged to start with the class teacher and then the SENDCo when needed, and it outlines accessibility features of the site such as a sloping entrance and an accessibility plan.

The implication for families is that support is framed as part of normal school life, rather than as an exceptional pathway that only activates after a crisis.

The strongest schools at this age avoid two traps, either offering very little beyond lessons, or offering generic clubs that feel bolted on. Here, several extras are tied closely to the school’s curriculum and values.

Nature Explorer is the standout example, described in the school’s curriculum materials with concrete activities and a clear developmental purpose.

For pupils, this is where collaboration, language, and resilience are practised in a context that makes sense to young children.

Music is another pillar with identifiable structure. The school’s published music development plan describes a Year 2 choir that meets weekly and performs through the year, plus an after-school Music Club for Years 1 and 2.

Events such as a Year 2 choir performance and rehearsals for local music festivals, shown on the school calendar, suggest regular public performance opportunities, not just end-of-term assemblies.

The site itself contributes to enrichment. The school describes the British values garden with chickens, an allotment area, and a library, all of which create practical opportunities for responsibility, reading culture, and simple environmental learning.

Wraparound care also plays a role here. KidsQuest is not only childcare, it is part of the pupil experience before and after the formal day, and it is clearly timetabled.

The school gates open at 08:40, the school day starts at 08:45am and ends at 3:15pm, with a total weekly time of 32.5 hours.

Wraparound care is available through KidsQuest. Breakfast sessions run from 7:30am to 8:45am, and after-school sessions run from 3:15pm to 6:00pm, with an additional “club finishers” option for infant pupils from 4:15pm to 6:00pm.

Holiday childcare is hosted on site through Koosa Kids, with opening hours stated as 8:15am to 6:00pm during school holidays.

For travel, the most useful planning approach is to map your route based on school start and finish, then build in the reality of local congestion at drop-off and pick-up. Families should also consider how wraparound changes the feasibility of commuting, particularly with younger children.

• Admissions competition. With 251 applications for 60 Reception offers in the available demand data, many families will not secure a place even with timely applications. Have a realistic Plan B and treat school preference ranking as strategic, not aspirational.

• Infant-only structure. Pupils typically move on after Year 2, most commonly to Wallace Fields Junior School. Families wanting a single setting from Reception through Year 6 should plan for that transition from the start.

• Nursery does not equal Reception. Shining Stars Nursery is a genuine on-site pathway for ages 2 to 4, but it does not remove the need to apply for Reception through Surrey’s admissions process and meet the published deadlines.

• Wraparound costs and logistics. KidsQuest is well-specified, but families should still check availability and booking patterns early, especially if you will rely on breakfast or after-school sessions most days.

Wallace Fields Infant School and Nursery is a high-performing infant setting with an Outstanding inspection profile, clear routines, and unusually strong practical support for working families through structured wraparound. Best suited to families who want a confident, well-organised start to schooling, and who value outdoor learning and music alongside early literacy and number work. The limiting factor is admission rather than what happens once a place is secured.