Durrington Infant School Review 2026: Oversubscribed early years and Key Stage 1 in West Sussex

As an infant school, Durrington does not have the same published Key Stage 2 outcome set that parents may be used to seeing for all-through primaries. there are no Key Stage 2 performance metrics available to report, and the school is not currently ranked in the primary outcome tables here. That means the best available academic evidence comes from how learning is described and evaluated in official inspection material, and from the specific curriculum signals the school publishes.

The most recent Ofsted inspection (20 and 21 June 2023, published 20 September 2023) judged overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, with Good grades for Behaviour and attitudes, Personal development, and Early years provision. The key academic message within that judgement is unevenness across subjects. Reading and phonics are described as improving strongly, and the teaching in some subjects is organised in a way that helps pupils build knowledge systematically. Other foundation subjects are identified as less securely planned, and assessment checks are not always consistent enough to ensure gaps are picked up early.

For parents, the practical implication is straightforward. If your priority is early reading and confident routines in Reception and Key Stage 1, the evidence base is reassuring. If you want a fully consistent subject-by-subject picture across the full infant curriculum, the school is still working to make that even, and families should probe curriculum planning and how staff check learning in the less prominent subjects when they visit.

Phonics is a defining feature of the learning model here. The school states it uses Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, and this is reinforced by inspection commentary describing staff training, close checking during lessons, and reading books matched to pupils’ current stage.

A useful way to interpret that is through an example-evidence-implication lens.

Example: reading is treated as the gateway skill.

Evidence: a structured daily phonics programme, staff training, and books aligned to pupils’ decoding stage.

Implication: pupils who need routine and repetition to become fluent early readers are likely to benefit, and families can often reinforce the same approach at home because the programme is well defined and widely used.

In early years, the evidence points to a thoughtfully planned start. The inspection report describes children in the early years getting a good start, with curriculum planning that is well developed and an emphasis on physical health, as well as early familiarity with using electronic devices to support learning. This matters for infants because the quality of early routines and vocabulary development tends to be the single biggest predictor of how smoothly pupils settle into Year 1.

Support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is described for early identification and targeted help, including an emphasis on language and communication. The staff list published on the school website also shows a defined inclusion team structure, including a SENCO and SEND support teachers, which suggests capacity and role clarity rather than ad hoc support.

The most common pathway is progression within the federation into the linked junior school, with the schools sharing a governing body and practical cross-over such as junior pupils taking on leadership roles that support younger children at social times. For many families, that continuity is a major reason to choose an infant school within a federated arrangement, because children move into Key Stage 2 with familiar routines, site knowledge, and aligned expectations.

For families considering alternatives at Year 3, the practical next step is to check West Sussex’s junior admissions arrangements and timelines early, because junior entry can be a separate process depending on the child’s current placement and the structure of local schools. If your plan is federation progression, confirm how that transition works for your child’s cohort and whether any application step is required.

Reception entry is coordinated by West Sussex County Council rather than handled directly by the school. In the most recent admissions data here, the Reception entry route shows 131 applications for 54 offers, with the school recorded as oversubscribed. That ratio means the limiting factor is not the education on offer, it is securing a place.

For September 2026 entry in West Sussex, the on-time application deadline was 15 January 2026, and offer emails were issued on Thursday 16 April 2026. If you are planning for a later year, treat this as a strong signal of the typical pattern, but always verify the exact dates for your intake year.

Two practical tips help families handle competition without guesswork. First, use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your precise home-to-school distance against recent offer patterns. Second, use the Local Hub comparison tool to look at nearby infant and primary options side by side, particularly if you need a realistic second or third preference.

Nursery entry

Little Rainbow Nursery offers places from a child’s third birthday and notes eligibility for 15 hours of funded nursery education, and for some families 30 hours, depending on eligibility. Nursery places are handled directly via the school rather than through the county’s Reception portal, so the operational approach is different. If nursery is your entry point, ask how nursery-to-Reception transition works in practice, including how children are supported through the move into full school routines.

Wellbeing is explicitly framed as part of the school’s work with families, not just an internal pupil-only system. The community hub is described as a place where guidance and support are offered, and pupils are described as mirroring that care in their interactions.

On the pupil side, the most useful pastoral evidence is how concerns are handled. The inspection report notes that some pupils felt bullying occasionally happens, but also that pupils were confident staff listen and help them with worries. For infants, that confidence in adult response is often the more meaningful indicator than a claim that bullying never happens, because the key question at this age is whether children tell an adult and whether the adult response is consistent.

Safeguarding is described as effective, with staff training and employment checks treated as thorough, and pupils learning strategies to keep themselves safe, including online.

This is a school that tries to make “extra” feel normal. The site highlights specialist classrooms for subjects including modern foreign languages, computing, music and art, alongside nurture and supported learning spaces. The implication is breadth from the start, not a narrow focus on English and mathematics alone.

Clubs are also integrated into the practical childcare offer, which is often what families really need at infant stage. The children’s club structure includes a breakfast club running 8:00am to 8:45am and an after-school club running 3:05pm to 5:30pm each weekday in term time. The same page references extracurricular activities ranging from choir to football, and from art to lego, with some clubs age-banded.

Outdoor physical development has visible investment as well. The trim trail equipment list is specific, not generic, and it includes both balancing and climbing challenges. For many infants, that kind of equipment is not just fun, it is a way to build confidence, gross motor control, and cooperative play in a structured space.

The infant school day runs from 8:45am to 3:15pm (32.5 hours per week). Wraparound care is available via the children’s club, with breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school club until 5:30pm on weekdays in term time.

Durrington Infant School is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the usual state-school extras such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs, which vary by year and by pupil.

For transport, most families treat this as a local school run option, and the best planning step is to check your likely walk or drive time at drop-off and pick-up, then stress-test the route against winter conditions and sibling logistics. If you are relying on school transport eligibility, confirm how West Sussex applies transport rules when you list non-catchment preferences.

• Requires Improvement judgement. The June 2023 inspection judged overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, with curriculum consistency across all subjects identified as an improvement priority. Families should ask how subject planning and checking of learning is being strengthened beyond reading and mathematics.

• Competition for Reception places. With 131 applications for 54 offers in the latest data shown here, entry is competitive. A realistic preference strategy matters, particularly if you live further from the school.

• Strong systems can feel structured. Rewards such as Durrington dosh and the emphasis on routines can be a real positive for many children. Pupils who struggle with structure may need extra support during settling-in, so ask about how staff handle transition and regulation.

• Federation context. Many families value the pathway into the linked junior school, but you should still confirm how infant-to-junior transition works for your child’s cohort and what, if anything, you need to do administratively at Year 3.

Durrington Infant School offers a clearly organised early years and Key Stage 1 experience, with particular strength in phonics and reading practice, calm expectations for behaviour, and practical wraparound provision that works for working families. It suits children who benefit from routine, explicit behaviour expectations, and an early focus on reading fluency, and it can be especially appealing to families who want continuity through the federation into junior years.

The challenge lies in admission rather than what follows, and families should plan preferences carefully and engage early with the West Sussex timeline.