The Priory Church of England School

About The Priory Church of England School

The Priory Church of England School in Mole Valley is a secondary state school for 11 to 16 year olds that currently houses 671 pupils against a capacity of 1,000, leaving significant room for growth. Its intake reflects a higher-than-average level of disadvantage, with 17.4% of pupils eligible for free school meals, compared with the national secondary average of around 23% and a Surrey local authority average that tends to sit lower. The school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 academic year, it received 279 applications for 126 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.21, with 83 first-preference offers made. This suggests that while the school is oversubscribed, it is not among the most fiercely competitive in the county. As a Church of England school, it has a religious character, though the data does not specify any faith-based admissions criteria. The headteacher is Jo Trimnell, who has been in post since at least the most recent Ofsted inspection.

Academically, The Priory was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2019, a rating it has held consistently since its previous inspection in November 2014, which also graded overall effectiveness as Good. The inspection report highlighted Good leadership and management and Good sixth-form provision, though the school does not actually have a sixth form, so that grade likely refers to a previous arrangement or a misinterpretation in the data. The school’s Progress 8 score is not provided in the data, but the local authority average for Progress 8 in Surrey is 0.26, which is above the national average of 0. This places Surrey schools generally in a strong position, though without The Priory’s specific score, it is impossible to say how it compares to peers like St Andrew’s Catholic School or Gordon’s School, which rank higher in the local league table. The school’s Ofsted breakdown does not include separate grades for quality of education, behaviour, or personal development, so the full picture of its academic and pastoral strengths remains incomplete.

The school offers a broad range of facilities, including science labs, a theatre, sports hall, astro turf, playing fields, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and a chapel, alongside dedicated music rooms, art studios, and an ICT suite. Sports on offer include athletics, swimming, dance, rowing, cross country, cricket, and rugby, while clubs range from choir and Model UN to science club, coding, and art club. For pupils with additional needs, the school provides support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given its oversubscription but not extreme competition, this school may suit families in the Mole Valley area seeking a Church of England secondary with strong facilities and a supportive SEND framework, particularly those who value a mixed, non-selective environment without a sixth form.

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