St Peter’s CofE Infant School Review 2026: Small, faith-led, and highly structured for early learning

Because this is an infant school (Reception to Year 2), it is not a setting where you should expect headline Key Stage 2 outcomes, GCSEs, or A-level measures. )

What you can treat as current, comparable evidence is the inspection picture. The 2022 report describes high expectations, pupils immersed in learning, and an effective curriculum design that starts in the early years and connects into Year 1. It also flags a specific improvement point, leaders were still developing a small number of subjects, including music, so sequencing across all year groups was not yet fully joined up at the time of inspection.

If you are building a shortlist across local schools, FindMySchool’s Local Hub comparison tools are often the fastest way to line up what is available for your child’s age, then you can use school visits to test “fit” (routines, behaviour expectations, and the feel of early reading).

The inspection evidence gives a fairly detailed view of what teaching looks like in practice, which is particularly useful at infant stage where outcomes data is less standardised.

Early reading and phonics appear to be a central pillar. The report describes a highly consistent phonics approach across classes, careful matching of decodable books to the sounds pupils are learning, and pupils becoming confident, fluent readers quickly. That combination usually signals strong staff training alignment plus disciplined classroom practice, which matters as much as the programme choice itself.

Curriculum coherence is highlighted in most subjects, with teachers planning together so lessons build on what pupils already know. The report includes concrete examples, such as Year 2 pupils discussing differences between Tandridge and Washington DC in geography, and Reception children recording findings while exploring which objects float.

Support for pupils with SEND is described as being integrated into everyday classroom learning rather than siloed. The report notes that pupils with SEND are accurately identified and that staff break down tasks and provide additional resources so pupils with SEND learn confidently alongside peers.

As an infant school, the key transition is into junior school (typically Year 3), rather than into secondary. The school’s admissions information references Surrey’s coordinated system and reflects the reality that families often plan ahead for the next phase once a Reception place is secured.

For parents, the practical implication is that you should treat St Peter’s choice as a two-part decision, first, does the infant stage match your child (routines, early reading, pastoral tone); second, are you comfortable with the likely Year 3 route and how it is allocated locally (distance, faith criteria where relevant, and availability). If junior options are tight, it is worth checking Surrey’s mapping and allocation approach early, before relying on a preferred pathway.

The data in this record points to high competition for Reception places. For the most recent admissions cycle captured here, there were 112 applications for 30 offers, 3.73 applications per place applications per place. In plain terms, even allowing for families listing multiple preferences, this is a strongly oversubscribed picture.

St Peter’s admissions information states that applications for September 2026 entry should be made online via Surrey County Council by 15 January 2026, with offer outcomes published on 16 April 2026.

The school also publishes tour and open event information. For example, it lists school tours for prospective parents for September 2027 entry, including 25 June 2026 at 9.15am, and it also previously listed a sequence of tours for September 2026 entry across 2025 and early 2026.

A practical shortlisting approach is to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to understand your likely distance position relative to other applicants, then confirm the current year’s criteria and supplementary faith requirements with the school and Surrey, since voluntary aided faith schools can use church-related oversubscription criteria.

The 2022 inspection describes pupils behaving exceptionally well, and frames kindness as a normalised expectation rather than a slogan. It also states that safeguarding arrangements are effective and describes a culture of vigilance, staff training, and clear reporting routes.

The school also publishes designated safeguarding leadership roles on its website, with the headteacher listed as Designated Safeguarding Lead.

For parents, the key “so what” is that this looks like a school where behaviour and routines are treated as the foundation for learning, not as an afterthought. That typically suits children who do well with predictable structure, and it can also be reassuring for families who worry about playground dynamics, because expectations are set early.

St Peter’s offers named clubs that are age-appropriate and timetable-based. For Autumn Term 2025, the school lists: Tennis (Mondays), Football (Tuesdays), Street Dance (Wednesdays), Performing Arts (Thursdays), and Arts and Craft (Fridays).

Inspection evidence also references lunchtime gardening club, plus trips and curriculum-linked enrichment such as visiting Gatton Garden and work around designing Japanese gardens to learn about pattern in mathematics.

The “so what” for families is that enrichment here is not positioned as a luxury add-on. Clubs and trips are presented as part of how pupils build confidence, language, and wider knowledge, which can be particularly valuable in small infant settings where breadth comes from planned experiences rather than scale.

The school day is published clearly. The core school day runs 8.45am to 3.15pm, with breakfast club time listed from 7.30am, and after-school options extending to 6.00pm through an external provider arrangement.

Wraparound care on-site is described as being managed by The Kids Club Family, with sessions listed as 7.30am to 8.45am (£8 per session) and 3.15pm to 6.00pm (£15.95 per session), with a note that prices were correct as at 01 April 2025 and may change.

On transport, this is a village setting on Tandridge Lane; families should sanity-check the practicality of drop-off and pick-up for their own commute patterns and consider whether wraparound care is needed regularly, given spaces are described as limited.

• Oversubscription pressure. With 112 applications for 30 places in the latest admissions snapshot here, demand materially exceeds supply. If this is your first-choice, you need a Plan B that you would genuinely accept.

• Infant-school transition planning. The big decision is not only Reception entry, it is also what happens at Year 3. Families should consider the likely junior-school route early, because it affects continuity and logistics.

• Curriculum development point. The latest inspection highlighted that leaders were still completing curriculum work in a small number of subjects, including music, so sequencing was not fully linked across all year groups at that time. Ask what has changed since 2022.

• Wraparound capacity. On-site wraparound care is described as first-come, first-served with limited spaces, which matters for working families relying on guaranteed coverage.

St Peter’s CofE Infant School is a small, structured infant setting with a clearly articulated Christian ethos and an inspection profile that is particularly strong in behaviour, personal development, and leadership.

It will suit families who want a faith-led culture, tight routines, and a calm, expectation-driven start to school life, and who are ready to engage seriously with admissions planning in a competitive local picture. Entry is the limiting factor, and the Year 3 transition should be part of your decision, not an afterthought.