Claygate Primary School Review 2026: High-performing Surrey primary with standout enrichment

A two-form entry primary with the scale to run specialist experiences, and the results to show that core learning is not being sacrificed to make room for them. Claygate Primary School sits well above the England average at Key Stage 2, with 86% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined in 2024, compared with 62% across England. Its wider offer is unusually distinctive for a state primary, with an outdoor learning story that includes a dedicated woodland area, a pond, allotments, and chickens, plus a heated pool on site.

Leadership is well-established. Mrs Sandra Cunningham has been head teacher since September 2018, a tenure long enough to shape consistency in curriculum and culture.

Claygate’s identity is strongly values-led and structured around shared expectations, rather than relying on charisma or informal culture. The school’s language around community responsibilities is explicit, and it shows up in the way enrichment, assemblies and pupil leadership roles are framed. The latest inspection report describes a calm, orderly feel, with pupils reporting that they feel safe and that bullying is rare, and dealt with quickly when it occurs.

The curriculum and pastoral model aim to build confidence and independence alongside academic habits. You see that in the way residential trips are positioned, as inclusive experiences that build resilience and year-group cohesion, and in the school’s emphasis on routines in the early years. The school’s own documentation also points to a clear wellbeing vocabulary, including structured approaches that help pupils name feelings and regulate behaviour, plus designated spaces for calm reflection.

Parents who prioritise breadth often worry that enrichment can become scattergun. Here, the strongest evidence suggests it is coherent. Pupil leadership appears organised into specific roles, including a school council and eco-council, and the wider culture is supported by consistent routines, not just a long list of activities.

Claygate’s Key Stage 2 outcomes place it among the stronger state primaries in England. Ranked 823rd in England and 1st in Esher for primary outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), it sits well above England average performance, broadly within the top 10% nationally by percentile.

In 2024, 86% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 38.67% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics, compared with 8% across England. These figures strongly suggest a cohort with both secure basics and a meaningful proportion pushed into depth, not just borderline threshold movement.

The component indicators align with that picture. Reading, mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling show high expected-standard rates, and the average scaled scores (reading 109, mathematics 109, GPS 110) indicate consistent strength across the main tested strands. For parents comparing schools locally, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and comparison tools can help you put these numbers side-by-side with nearby alternatives using the same underlying dataset.

The clearest academic story is curriculum planning and retention. External review notes that, in most subjects including English and mathematics, leaders have planned learning so that pupils build knowledge successfully and remember it over time. The school’s approach to early reading is especially well-defined, with staff trained to deliver the chosen phonics programme consistently, supported by regular checks that identify pupils who need targeted catch-up.

Reading culture is treated as more than phonics. The school promotes author-led engagement and specific reading spaces intended to help pupils concentrate, which matters for children who enjoy reading but also for those who need a calmer route into it. The implication for families is straightforward, pupils who need structure usually benefit from predictable routines and systematic practice, and pupils already flying still get stretch through depth expectations rather than simply faster pacing.

One useful nuance is that the inspection narrative also points to uneven development across some foundation subjects, with a stated need for teachers to strengthen subject knowledge and retention strategies in the less developed areas. That is a common challenge in primaries aiming for breadth, but it is still worth probing, particularly if your child is motivated by history, geography, design technology or similar areas rather than the core alone.

As a Surrey primary, secondary transfer is shaped by the local authority’s coordinated admissions process and the family’s own preferences around comprehensive, selective and independent routes. The most common next-step pattern for many families is to look first at local state secondaries and then decide whether to pursue selective testing where relevant.

For Claygate-area families, nearby state secondary options commonly discussed include Hinchley Wood School and Esher Church of England High School. Families considering selective pathways typically plan early, since the rhythm of preparation can influence Year 5 and Year 6 workloads even when the primary does not run a formal tutoring pipeline.

The school’s emphasis on independence and resilience, including structured residential experiences in Key Stage 2, is a practical preparation for the social shift of Year 7. It is also a marker for how the school thinks about transition, not as a single handover event, but as a set of habits built over time.

Reception admissions run through Surrey’s coordinated process, even though the school is its own admissions authority in governance terms. The practical implication is that families should treat the local authority timetable as the backbone of the process, and then use the school’s published admissions arrangements to understand oversubscription criteria and appeals.

Demand is meaningful. For the Reception entry route in the most recent dataset provided, there were 117 applications for 57 offers, which equates to 2.05 applications per place, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed. That level of demand usually means families should plan on having realistic alternative preferences on the Surrey application, rather than assuming proximity alone will be sufficient.

Because the “last offered distance” figure is not available here, the most practical step is to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your exact home-to-gate distance and then validate the most current oversubscription evidence through Surrey’s published admissions materials. If you are relying on a move, measure before you commit.

For in-year admissions, the key question is capacity in the relevant year group. Two-form entry creates more flexibility than a one-form school, but it does not guarantee space, particularly in the most popular year groups.

Pastoral practice is structured and explicit, rather than informal. The school sets out a clear safeguarding structure and describes a consistent wellbeing approach that is used across classes, including tools designed to help children understand feelings and regulate behaviour. Alongside this, there are named approaches to emotional literacy support and drop-in touchpoints intended to help children re-anchor when they are unsettled.

This matters because schools with strong results can sometimes feel transactional. Here, the evidence points to a culture where personal development is treated as a planned curriculum, not an add-on. The latest Ofsted inspection (13 June 2023) judged the school Good overall, with Personal Development rated Outstanding and Early Years Provision rated Outstanding.

Where parents should probe is attendance expectations. The inspection report flags that too many pupils miss school regularly, including some vulnerable pupils, despite leaders’ work in this area. If your child has medical needs, anxiety-related absence, or other attendance risk factors, ask what support looks like in practice, and how quickly intervention happens.

This is a school that uses its site and staffing creatively. Outdoor learning is not a marketing line, it is grounded in specific assets: a woodland area with a pond for wildlife exploration, allotments and gardening, and animals that pupils help to care for. The implication is that children who learn best through practical experiences, sensory engagement and outdoor responsibility may find school life more motivating than in settings where outdoor time is limited to break and a single PE field.

Sport is unusually well-resourced for a state primary, thanks to the on-site heated swimming pool. The pool’s presence changes what is possible. It supports swimming progression across the years and can underpin confidence for children who do not naturally gravitate to team games. It also signals something about operational competence, running a pool safely and routinely demands strong site management.

Clubs and enrichment are described as exceptionally wide, with specific examples that go beyond the usual primary menu. Pupils have opportunities such as learning Japanese and Makaton, which links enrichment to communication and inclusion rather than treating it as “extra for extra’s sake”.

There is also evidence of carefully scaffolded experiences across Key Stage 2, including named residential trips in Years 4, 5 and 6. For families, the practical benefit is not just the trip itself, it is the way residentials can accelerate independence, self-management and friendship resilience before the move to secondary.

The school day is clearly structured. Gates open at 8.35am, registration is at 8.55am, and the end-of-day collection routine runs from 3.15pm, with gates closing at 3.25pm.

Wraparound care is available on site. Breakfast club runs from 7.15am, and after-school provision runs until 6.15pm, with early years included in the school-run wraparound model.

On travel and access, the school encourages walking, cycling and scooting, and notes that on-site parking is primarily for staff and visitors, so parents should expect to use local footpaths and plan for busy drop-off routines.

• Oversubscription pressure. With 2.05 applications per place in the most recent Reception entry dataset, the limiting factor is often admission rather than educational quality. Families should plan preferences carefully, and keep realistic alternatives in mind.

• Foundation-subject consistency. The latest inspection narrative indicates that some foundation subjects are less secure, with teacher subject knowledge and retention strategies still improving in places. For children driven by the wider curriculum, ask how this is being addressed.

• Attendance expectations. The inspection report flags persistent absence as an area of concern. If your child is likely to need additional attendance support, it is sensible to ask how early intervention works and what family support looks like.

• A busy, structured day. Between early morning routines, wraparound availability, leadership roles, and a full enrichment programme, the pace can suit confident, curious children. Some will love it; others may do better with a quieter rhythm.

Claygate Primary School combines high attainment with an unusually tangible enrichment offer, especially outdoors and in swimming. It suits families who want strong academic outcomes alongside structured opportunities that build independence, communication and confidence. The main hurdle is admission, not the day-to-day experience once a place is secured. Families serious about this option should use distance tools and the Surrey timetable to plan early, and keep a balanced shortlist using FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature.