Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School

About Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School

Grand Avenue Primary and Nursery School is a state primary in the Kingston upon Thames local authority, a borough with a strong reputation for primary education. Among the 36 primary schools in the area, it ranks 21st on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of local schools. The top-performing peers in the borough include Latchmere School, Christ Church CofE Primary School, and Alexandra Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Knollmead Primary School, just 1.2 kilometres away. Grand Avenue itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in 2011, and an ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed the school remains Good. Headteacher Shona Pitcher leads a mixed, non-denominational school of 658 pupils aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site.

In the 2023/24 key stage 2 assessments, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is slightly below the Kingston upon Thames local authority average of 66%. The school’s national ranking places it in the bottom half of all primaries, at the 53rd percentile. Reading is a relative strength: 87% of pupils reached the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 108, and 38% achieved a higher standard. Maths saw 75% at the expected level, with an average score of 105, and 27% reached the higher standard. Writing was weaker, with 70% at expected and just 10% at the higher level. Only 7% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. The school does not have a sixth form, and its Progress 8 scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 261 applications for 90 places, a ratio of 2.9 applicants per place, with 83 offers going to first-preference families. Facilities include an art studio, ICT suite, forest school area, outdoor playground, and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, athletics, cross country, dance, gymnastics and tennis, while clubs range from eco club and film club to science club and gardening. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing and multi-sensory impairments, physical disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health support, plus a resourced provision. With 13.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a broadly mixed catchment and suits families who value a Good-rated, well-subscribed community primary with strong reading outcomes and a wide range of extracurricular activities.

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