Stepgates Community School

About Stepgates Community School

Stepgates Community School, a state primary in Runnymede, Surrey, holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a grade it has maintained consistently across both its graded inspections. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 performance in reading, writing and maths combined: only 34% of pupils met the expected standard in 2023/24, which is well below the Surrey local authority average of 66%. This places Stepgates at the bottom of the 17 primary schools in Runnymede and in the bottom 5% nationally. The picture is slightly more nuanced when looking at individual subjects — 63% of pupils reached the expected standard in maths and 54% in writing — but reading was a particular challenge, with just 51% achieving the expected level. Only 6% of pupils reached the higher standard across all three subjects, and the school’s overall ranking score of 34 out of 100 reflects significant room for improvement.

Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2023 inspection gives a more rounded view. The school was rated Good across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Inspectors noted that the school has a clear sense of purpose and that pupils behave well. The early years provision, which includes a nursery for children aged two and over, was also judged Good. While the KS2 results are below the LA average, the school does not have published progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is difficult to tell whether pupils are making typical gains from their starting points. The school’s capacity of 210 is exceeded by its current roll of 275 pupils, which suggests it is popular locally despite the academic outcomes, and the oversubscription ratio of 4:1 for 2025/26 admissions confirms strong demand.

Stepgates offers a broad range of facilities including a sports hall, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room, a forest school area and a chapel. Sports provision covers gymnastics, tennis, athletics, rounders, swimming, dance and cricket, while extracurricular clubs include gardening, drama, choir and film club. The school has a dedicated SEN unit and provides support for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs. With 14.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a moderately disadvantaged intake. For families prioritising a nurturing, well-resourced environment with strong SEN support over top-tier academic results, Stepgates may be a good fit. However, those seeking higher KS2 outcomes might look to nearby Pyrcroft Grange Primary School, rated Outstanding and just 1.4 km away.

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