Cleves School Review 2026: High-achieving junior school with a strong Year 3 intake

Cleves’s Key Stage 2 outcomes in 2024 are strikingly strong across the board. In reading, writing and maths combined, 95.33% of pupils reached the expected standard, compared to the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 45.67% reached greater depth in reading, writing and maths, compared to the England average of 8%. Reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled scores are also high, at 111 (reading), 109 (maths), and 112 (GPS).

In FindMySchool’s rankings based on official data, Cleves is ranked 231st in England and 2nd in Weybridge for primary outcomes. This places the school among the highest-performing in England (top 2%).

For parents, the implication is fairly direct. This is a school where most pupils are working at or above expected standards by the end of Year 6, and where a large share are achieving at the higher standard. For some children that creates momentum and confidence; for others it can mean needing reassurance that progress is measured against their own starting point, not just the top end.

A key strength at Cleves is the deliberate sequencing of learning from Year 3 through Year 6. The inspection highlights a curriculum designed to build knowledge and skills in a logical order, which helps pupils retain learning and tackle more complex material with confidence.

Reading is treated as a priority area. The inspection describes a structured approach with regular practice, access to a well-stocked library, and additional support for pupils who need it. A small but telling detail is the use of a school dog, Paddy, as part of reading support, an approach that can reduce anxiety and make practice feel safer for reluctant readers.

Specialist teaching also features strongly in the school’s published materials. The prospectus references specialist staff supporting areas such as sport and the performing arts, and the staff list includes specialist teachers for French and music, alongside a sports mentor. The practical implication is breadth: pupils can access subject expertise that many junior schools cannot offer consistently at scale.

As a junior school, the key transition is Year 6 to Year 7. The school advises families to apply for secondary places when their child joins Year 6, with applications coordinated through Surrey.

For typical destination patterns, Heathside School features explicitly in the school’s calendar communications, including a listed Heathside induction day for Year 6, which strongly suggests it is a common next step for many pupils.

Families considering selective, faith, or independent secondary routes will need to manage that pathway separately, but the core point remains: Cleves is structured as a high-performing junior stage with a clear exit at Year 6, so transition planning matters and starts earlier than at a 4 to 11 primary.

The main intake is Year 3. For September 2026 entry, applications open on 3 November 2025 and the deadline is 15 January 2026. The Published Admission Number for Year 3 is 180 for September 2026, reflecting the school’s large scale.

Admissions operate within Surrey’s coordinated system, with the school’s own published arrangements setting out the oversubscription priorities. These include looked-after and previously looked-after children, specific exceptional social or medical need, children of staff in defined circumstances, named feeder infant schools (including Oatlands and Manby Lodge), siblings, and then distance as a tie-break, measured in a straight line to the main pedestrian gate opposite Reception.

For families trying to judge practical chances, the most reliable approach is to use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check your precise distance and then compare it with historic allocation patterns published by Surrey for junior places. Distance outcomes move year to year because cohorts and application patterns change, so treat any single year as an indicator rather than a promise.

If you are applying outside the normal intake, in-year applications can be made at any time, with decisions made against the published criteria.

Pastoral support at Cleves is closely tied to relationships and routines. The inspection describes strong staff-pupil relationships and a calm, purposeful learning environment, which is usually the clearest marker of effective daily care in a large junior setting.

Support structures extend beyond behaviour systems. The school references peer mediators as part of the way pupils resolve conflicts, and the pupil premium information indicates access to counselling support and family-facing help, which matters in a junior school where anxieties around friendships, confidence, and transition can spike in Year 5 and Year 6.

The most recent Ofsted inspection also confirmed safeguarding as effective, with a culture of vigilance, regular staff training, and strong recording and follow-up of concerns.

Cleves has a level of extracurricular structure that is closer to a small secondary school than a typical junior. A major reason is the scale of the site and facilities. The prospectus describes a purpose-built sports centre with a dance studio and a performance hall with an auditorium, plus outdoor learning spaces, a wildlife area, and extensive digital access with a large pool of mobile devices.

Wraparound and enrichment are treated as overlapping rather than separate. The school’s clubs programme is explicit that clubs serve both childcare and enrichment, with a blend of staff-run activities and fee-paying provision run by external providers. Examples include Theatre Works (drama and musical theatre), Totally Tangerine Cookery Club, Spanish Amigos, and athletics programmes through Impact Athletic Club.

Two particularly distinctive elements stand out. First, the school’s sports leadership within local partnerships, including its stated role leading the Walton, Weybridge and Hersham Sports Partnership and recognition through School Games Mark awards. Second, Cleves Connection Radio Station, where Year 6 pupils act as presenters and technicians delivering weekly school news live to the community, a genuine communication and leadership project rather than a one-off enrichment day.

The school day starts with pupils entering from 08:30, with the day beginning in classrooms by 08:45 and lessons running through to 15:15. For wraparound care, Early Risers runs 07:45 to 08:30, and GAP Club runs 15:15 to 18:00 Monday to Friday.

For families commuting by rail, the school provides walking directions from Walton-on-Thames station, which is a useful indicator that public transport access is viable for some households, even if most pupils will arrive on foot, scooter, or by car.

• Year 3 entry changes the planning timeline. Cleves is a junior school, so families often need to secure an infant place first, then apply again for Year 3 transfer. The key deadline for September 2026 entry is 15 January 2026, which arrives quickly once a child starts Year 2.

• Scale is a feature, but it will not suit every child. With around 720 pupils on roll and a Year 3 intake of 180, the environment has breadth and opportunity, but children who prefer very small settings may need more time to settle.

• Wraparound and clubs are strong, but budgeting matters. Early Risers is charged at £7.00 per day and many after-school clubs are fee-paying because they are run by external providers.

• Leadership has been in transition. The school moved to Jim Usher’s headship from September 2024, and the current website lists Natasha Green as Acting Headteacher. Families who prioritise leadership continuity should ask how responsibilities are distributed and what that means for day-to-day decision making.

Cleves School combines exceptionally strong academic outcomes with the practical benefits of a large, well-resourced junior setting. It suits families who want a high-expectations culture, strong routines, and a serious breadth of clubs and wraparound care, particularly those planning for Year 3 entry and the Year 6 transition. The clearest challenge is admissions timing and forward planning, because junior transfer is a separate application cycle and demand is shaped by a wide local catchment.