Shawfield Primary School

About Shawfield Primary School

Shawfield Primary School is a popular choice among local families, with 93 applications for just 30 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.1 to one. Of those 93 applicants, 28 listed the school as their first preference, and all 28 received an offer. This level of demand suggests a strong reputation among parents in Guildford, though the school does not publish a parent-view recommendation score. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 5 to 11, with a current roll of 202 pupils against a capacity of 210, so it is running close to full. Headteacher Stephen Corcoran leads a school that has held a Good rating from Ofsted since its 2013 inspection, and its most recent graded inspection in July 2023 confirmed that rating across all five categories, including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision.

Academically, Shawfield’s Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show 55% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Surrey local authority average of 66%, and places the school 15th out of 19 primary schools in Guildford, in the bottom 50 nationally. However, individual subject scores tell a more nuanced story: 69% met the expected standard in reading, 62% in maths, and 76% in writing. The average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 102 in maths, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. At the higher standard, 24% achieved in reading, 17% in writing, and 10% in maths, though only 3% reached the higher threshold across all three subjects. The school does not publish progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is not possible to compare how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, library, ICT suite, music rooms, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports provision includes dance, rounders, athletics and swimming, while clubs cover book club, science club, gardening and coding. For pupils with additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health, speech language and communication, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With a free school meals rate of 27.2%, Shawfield serves a relatively diverse intake. Given its oversubscription and Good Ofsted rating, this is a school that appeals to families who value a stable, well-regarded local option, though those prioritising top-tier academic outcomes may want to compare it with higher-ranked peers in the area such as South Farnham School or The Raleigh School.

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