Northmead Junior School

About Northmead Junior School

Northmead Junior School sits within Surrey local authority, a county with 298 primary schools, of which 33 are rated Outstanding. The school itself ranks 12th out of 19 primary schools in the Guildford area based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, placing it in the bottom half of its immediate local cohort. Among its top-performing peers in the wider Surrey area are South Farnham School, The Raleigh School and Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School, all of which achieve higher ranking scores. The nearest Outstanding-rated school to Northmead is Burpham Primary School, 2.5 kilometres away. This context matters for parents weighing up options within Guildford, where the school holds a middling position but serves a distinct community.

In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2016, Northmead was rated Good overall, with Good for leadership and management, a rating that was confirmed as unchanged following an ungraded inspection in September 2022. This represents a clear improvement from the school’s previous graded inspection in 2014, when it was judged to Require Improvement. At Key Stage 2 in 2023/24, 59% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, below the Surrey local authority average of 66%. The school’s average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 107 in maths, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard was modest: 11% across all three subjects, with 37% achieving higher in maths and 38% in reading. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

Northmead is a mixed, non-denominational state primary for children aged 7 to 11, with 358 pupils on roll against a capacity of 360, indicating it is close to full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 21.2%, above the national average, reflecting a relatively disadvantaged intake. The school offers a range of facilities including music rooms, a sports hall, art studios, a sensory room, playing fields and a forest school. Sports on offer include athletics, tennis, gymnastics and netball, while clubs extend to gardening, drama, choir, science and art. SEND provision is broad, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and a dedicated SEN unit. This combination of facilities and support makes Northmead a practical choice for families in Guildford seeking a Good-rated junior school with strong pastoral and enrichment offerings, particularly those with children who have identified special educational needs.

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