The FMS Inspection Score is FindMySchool's proprietary analysis based on official Ofsted and ISI inspection reports. It converts ratings into a standardised 1–10 scale for fair comparison across all schools in England.
Disclaimer: The FMS Inspection Score is an independent analysis by FindMySchool. It is not endorsed by or affiliated with Ofsted or ISI. Always refer to the official Ofsted or ISI report for the full picture of a school’s inspection outcome.
This is a small, focused infant school serving the Emmbrook area of Wokingham, with pupils from Reception to Year 2 and a published capacity of 180. It sits within a wider local “through-school” feel, with the junior and secondary schools close by and regular cross-school links through The Circle Trust.
The headline story in 2026 is continuity with momentum. A new headteacher, Grace Massarella, took up post in September 2024. The most recent formal inspection activity in January 2025 focused on whether standards were being sustained, and the conclusion was positive, which matters for parents weighing up stability through leadership change.
Competition for Reception places is real. For the most recent admissions cycle there were 141 applications for 58 offers, which works out at 2.43 applications per place. That demand level shapes the experience of applying and is worth treating as the practical starting point.
The school positions itself clearly around everyday routines that support younger pupils, and a values-led approach that is repeated across policy and curriculum language. The stated core values are Courage, Achievement, Respect and Empathy, and the useful detail here is that each value is given a specific focus during the year rather than being left as generic branding. For families with children who respond well to predictable language and consistent expectations, that kind of repeated “common vocabulary” can make the early years feel calmer.
Leadership is a key part of culture in infant settings because small operational decisions, drop-off routines, behaviour norms, and parental communication set the tone quickly. The current headteacher is Grace Massarella, in post since September 2024. The school’s public-facing materials also make it easy to understand safeguarding roles, which can be reassuring for families who want clarity about who holds responsibility and how concerns are handled.
Inclusion is not a side note here. The Total Communication Base is described as a specialist resource supporting deaf children across the infant and junior schools, and the wording emphasises removing barriers as the central purpose. The approach is practical rather than abstract, with communication methods that include Sign Supported English and British Sign Language (BSL), matched to need rather than forcing one method on every child. For parents of deaf children, that combination of specialist staffing and a whole-school inclusion culture is usually what determines whether a placement feels workable day to day.
Infant schools do not have the same headline end-of-phase measures as junior or primary schools with Key Stage 2 outcomes, so parents often end up relying on curriculum quality, early reading practice, and external evaluation of standards.
The most recent official inspection activity in January 2025 was a “maintaining standards” style inspection for a school previously judged Outstanding, and the latest Ofsted report concluded that the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.
For parents, the practical implication is that the school’s baseline expectations and routines were judged to be holding steady through academy conversion and a new headteacher, which is often the period where standards can wobble.
. A more useful lens is what the school chooses to emphasise in its curriculum documents and prospectus: systematic phonics, structured literacy work, and clear subject coverage across the week.
The curriculum is described as broad, with explicit subject coverage across English, mathematics, science, computing, humanities, music, and art and design, alongside personal and social education and relationships education. This matters in infant schools because breadth is often where quality varies most: some settings narrow early, while others keep curiosity and foundational knowledge building genuinely wide.
A concrete example is the way foundation stage learning is treated as distinct, with an Early Years Foundation Stage programme rather than a “mini Year 1” model. That tends to suit children who need play-based learning and structured routines together, particularly in Reception where stamina and attention are still developing.
For families who care about how humanities are taught in the early years, the school’s curriculum subject statements explicitly frame geography as exploration and history as coherent knowledge-building with evidence and questioning. The implication is a curriculum that aims for more than activity-led topics, with early habits of reasoning and vocabulary development.
Quality of Education
Outstanding
Behaviour & Attitudes
Outstanding
Personal Development
Outstanding
Leadership & Management
Outstanding
FMS Inspection Score calculated by FindMySchool based on official inspection data.
As an infant school, the main destination question is not university pathways but the Year 2 to Year 3 step. Children typically move on to junior school at age 7, and in Wokingham this transfer is handled through the local authority admissions process rather than being automatic. The local authority guidance for starting junior school sets the on-time application closing date as 15 January.
In practical terms, families should plan for two separate admissions moments: Reception entry, then the infant to junior transfer during Year 2. That second step often surprises first-time parents, and it is worth building it into your timeline early so it does not become a rushed decision in the autumn and winter of Year 2.
For children within the Total Communication Base support, the continuity across infant and junior phases can be particularly valuable because communication approaches, specialist staffing, and peer understanding can carry over rather than resetting at a new site.
The figures show the school is oversubscribed for Reception entry, with 141 applications for 58 offers and a subscription ratio of 2.43. That level of demand typically means the distance and priority categories in the local authority’s coordinated scheme matter in practice, not just on paper.
For September 2026 entry, Wokingham’s published timeline is clear and parent-friendly: online admissions open on 13 November 2025; applications close on 15 January 2026; offers are sent on 16 April 2026; and the response deadline is 1 May 2026. The school’s own admissions page also highlights National Offer Day on 16 April 2026.
If you want a structured look at routines and teaching style, the school publishes specific parent tour dates in October and November, plus an EYFS open evening in November. Because these dates are already in the past relative to 2026 intake planning, treat them as a pattern indicator: tours tend to run in mid-autumn, and families should check the school’s current calendar for the next cycle.
A practical tip: if you are weighing multiple Wokingham infant options, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your exact distance in a consistent way across schools, then sanity-check it against local authority allocation rules before relying on proximity.
Applications
141
Total received
Places Offered
58
Subscription Rate
2.4x
Apps per place
Pastoral strength in infant settings is often about three things: consistent adult relationships, predictable behaviour routines, and clear safeguarding systems. The prospectus sets out named safeguarding leadership roles and references annual safeguarding training and regular updates.
For children who need extra support, there are two distinct layers. First is general class-level support, with teaching assistants and structured routines. Second is specialist inclusion for deaf and hearing-impaired pupils via the Total Communication Base, where the stated model is needs-led and flexible, using multiple modes of communication.
The implication for families is that support is designed to be embedded into the school day rather than bolted on as a separate “intervention only” track, which is often what makes inclusion work in practice.
It is easy for infant schools to be vague here, but this one lists specific clubs, which is helpful for parents planning childcare and for children who benefit from structured after-school activities.
Current examples include Dodgeball, Choir, Little Brickies, Football, Drama, Street Dance, Multi Sports, Piano, Dancing Stars and iRock. The school also notes that Foundation children can begin joining clubs from spring term, which is a sensible model for younger pupils who need time to settle first.
The practical implication is choice without overload: clubs appear to rotate termly, so families should expect options to change through the year rather than assuming the same timetable runs continuously.
The published school day starts at 8.50am, with the bell at 8.45am, and finishes at 3.20pm, with lunch between 12.00pm and 1.15pm.
Wraparound care is delivered via an on-site provider covering breakfast and after-school provision, and holiday club information is also available through the same provider arrangement. For parents balancing work schedules, the key point is that wraparound exists on-site, but availability can vary by session type, so it is worth checking capacity early for the days you actually need.
Transport and access are largely shaped by the Emmbrook Road setting and the fact that several schools sit close together, so drop-off and pick-up planning matters. The prospectus explicitly references parking considerations, which is a subtle indicator that the school expects congestion at peak times.
Oversubscription pressure. With 2.43 applications per place year, the limiting factor is often admission rather than school quality. Have at least one realistic alternative on your preference list.
Leadership transition is still recent. The headteacher started in September 2024, so families should use tours and conversations to understand what has changed and what has stayed consistent.
Infant to junior transfer needs planning. In Wokingham, moving up to junior school is a separate application, with an on-time closing date of 15 January.
Wraparound is provided via a partner. On-site breakfast and after-school care is a positive, but arrangements and session availability are not identical to school-run provision, so check the practicalities that matter to you.
Emmbrook Infant School suits families who want a structured, values-led start to schooling, with clear routines and an inclusion offer that is unusually specific for an infant setting. The Total Communication Base and its needs-led communication model will be a deciding factor for some families, particularly those with deaf children or hearing loss.
The biggest hurdle is entry. For families who secure a place, the school’s combination of stable standards checking, defined core values, and practical wraparound options makes it a strong local contender.
The school has recently been checked for whether it is sustaining standards and the latest inspection activity reported that standards were being maintained. For parents, that signals consistency in expectations and routines through recent organisational change.
Reception places are allocated through the local authority’s coordinated admissions process. In practice, oversubscription means priority categories and proximity tend to matter, so families should read the local criteria carefully and plan preferences with at least one alternative school in mind.
In Wokingham, the on-time closing date for primary applications is 15 January 2026, with offers sent on 16 April 2026.
Yes, there is on-site breakfast and after-school provision delivered via a partner provider arrangement, alongside holiday club information. Availability and booking rules can vary by session type, so it is worth checking early if you need fixed days.
Clubs vary by term, but examples listed include Choir, Little Brickies, Drama, Street Dance, Multi Sports, Piano, iRock and more. Foundation children can typically start joining clubs from spring term.
The Total Communication Base supports deaf children across the infant and junior schools and uses a needs-led model that can include speech, Sign Supported English and BSL, matched to the child.
Get in touch with the school directly
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