Graffham Church of England Infant School Review 2026: Small village school, big focus on kindness

This review cannot lean on published Key Stage 2 performance figures because this is an infant school (it finishes at Year 2) and, there are no current performance metrics listed for the school. The most appropriate way to judge academic standards here is through curriculum intent, classroom practice, and external evaluation.

Ofsted’s 2021 inspection judgement was Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The federation frames its curriculum around a strong “Love Our World” theme, aiming to build pupils’ knowledge while developing empathy and care for the wider world.

In Key Stage 1, the website sets out learning habits through a set of “C” values, including confidence, collaboration, communication, commitment, curiosity, creativity, and craftsmanship. For younger children, that typically translates into lessons that prioritise talk, explanation, hands-on tasks, and routines that help pupils build independence.

Outdoor learning is also presented as a distinctive strand. The school describes “Wild Wednesday Forest Schooling” as a structured opportunity to build collaboration, team building, and awareness of the natural environment. The practical implication is simple: if your child learns best when they can move, make, and explore, the curriculum is designed to accommodate that, rather than treating it as an occasional treat.

Because the school ends at Year 2, the most relevant transition is to junior provision for Year 3. The school sits in a federation with Duncton CE Junior School, and the admissions information explicitly references the Year 2 to Year 3 transfer route for September 2026.

Practically, this can make the move to juniors feel less daunting: families are dealing with linked schools, shared leadership, and established routines between the two sites. The minibus shuttle is one example of that joined-up approach.

For families thinking further ahead (Year 7), secondary transfer will depend on home address and West Sussex admissions arrangements. Infant schools do not feed into a single secondary in the way some primary schools can.

Reception applications are handled through West Sussex’s coordinated admissions process, rather than directly by the school.

For September 2026 starters, the federation website states that applications opened on Monday 6 October 2025 and closed on 15 January 2026 at 11.59pm. Offer day for on-time applicants is Thursday 16 April 2026 (West Sussex primary offer day).

Demand sits in the “popular local option” bracket. the school is marked oversubscribed for primary entry, with 34 applications and 20 offers (1.7 applications per place). That level of competition can still matter in a small school, because a handful of extra local applications can change outcomes quickly year to year.

If you are considering a place, it is worth reading West Sussex’s primary admissions key dates and guidance alongside the school’s own information, and using FindMySchool’s Map Search to sense-check practicalities like your likely journey and local alternatives before you commit to a single plan.

Small infant schools succeed or fail on consistency, and the school’s own framing emphasises relationships, belonging, and emotionally supportive routines. The values set, especially kindness and friendship, are explicitly positioned as day-to-day behavioural anchors rather than posters for the prospectus.

For parents, the key implication is that issues like friendship fallouts, separation anxiety, and confidence dips should be picked up early, because staff are working with fewer pupils and know families well. As always, the real test is communication: ask how the school shares concerns, how quickly you can expect feedback, and what support looks like for children who need a little more help settling.

Enrichment is structured around two things that matter for this age group: predictable routines, and short, purposeful activities that build confidence.

After-school clubs are offered on a termly basis, and the school publishes seasonal club letters. Timing is clearly set: clubs at Graffham typically run 15:15 to 16:15.

Outdoor learning is a named feature via Forest School, which is described as building collaboration and co-operation while developing awareness of the natural environment.

Wraparound care is evolving. A 2025 letter about clubs and wraparound indicates provision that is open to Graffham pupils, even when hosted on the junior site, so working parents should check the current arrangement for mornings and late finishes, and how transport between sites is handled.

The school day is clearly published. Gates open at 08:40, registration is 08:45, and the day ends at 15:15, with weekly time in school stated as 32.5 hours.

A minibus shuttle runs between the infant and junior schools, with a published price of £1 per journey and set departure times in the morning. This is particularly relevant for families with children on both sites.

Uniform guidance is also practical: many items can be bought from any retailer, with branded items ordered through the school’s chosen supplier.

• Small numbers cut both ways. A 60-place school can feel wonderfully personal, but friendship groups are also smaller, and a single year group dynamic can shape a child’s experience more than it would in a larger infant school.

• Oversubscription can bite in a village setting. With 34 applications for 20 offers year, it may not take many additional local applications to make entry harder in a given cycle.

• Transition planning matters. If your long-term plan is the junior school in the federation, ask early how Year 2 transition works in practice, including visits, buddying, and any transport arrangements for wraparound provision.

• Wraparound details can change. Because provision has been actively reviewed and updated, working parents should confirm current start and finish times, costs, and whether care is hosted on the infant or junior site this term.

This is a values-driven infant school that suits families who want a small, community-shaped start to education, with clear routines, outdoor learning, and a faith-aware ethos grounded in Church of England life. It is likely to suit children who benefit from being well known by staff, and parents who value close home school relationships. The main constraint is place availability, because even modest oversubscription can be decisive when cohorts are small.