Cranleigh Church of England Primary School

About Cranleigh Church of England Primary School

Cranleigh Church of England Primary School is a state primary in Waverley, Surrey, with a current pupil roll of 182 against a school capacity of 330, meaning it is operating at just over half its potential size. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 25.8%, which is notably higher than the national average for primary schools and suggests a more diverse intake than the local area might imply. Despite this spare capacity, the school was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 43 applications for 29 places and offering 19 first-preference places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.48. This demand is interesting given the school's recent Ofsted rating, and suggests that local families are still keen to secure a place here, perhaps drawn by its Church of England character or its rural setting in the Surrey Hills. The school is mixed-sex and caters for children aged 4 to 11, with no nursery or sixth form provision.

Academically, the picture is challenging. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2022, the school was rated Inadequate overall, a significant drop from its previous Good rating in 2016. The inspection found quality of education, early years provision, and leadership and management all to be Inadequate, while personal development and behaviour and attitudes were judged as Requires improvement. This places Cranleigh among a small minority of Surrey primary schools — out of 298 in the local authority, only 33 are rated Outstanding, and an Inadequate rating is rare. Key Stage 2 SATs data is not available in this dataset, but the local authority average for expected standard in reading, writing and maths is 66%, which provides a benchmark against which the school's future performance can be measured. The school's previous inspection had rated early years provision and leadership and management as Outstanding, so the decline represents a substantial change in quality.

On the practical side, the school offers a range of facilities including music rooms, art studios, playing fields, a forest school and a chapel, reflecting its Church of England foundation. Sports provision covers cricket, football, netball, dance and athletics, and clubs include gardening, chess, film club and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. Given the current Ofsted rating, this school will suit families who are willing to engage closely with the school's improvement journey and who value its village setting and community feel over league table performance. The oversubscription suggests that many local parents are already making that choice.

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