The Orchard Infant School

The Orchard Infant School is performing strongly overall. Pupils achieve very well across the curriculum, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Reading, writing and mathematics foundations are secure, and Year 1 phonics outcomes are significantly above national averages over time. Attendance is consistently high and persistent absence is well below national averages. Pupils are confident, kind and well behaved, and they feel safe, valued and included. The school's inclusive ethos is a particular strength, with effective early identification, tailored support and a specially resourced SEND provision that is fully integrated into school life. Curriculum and teaching, early years and leadership and governance are judged at the expected standard rather than strong. Teaching is effective, and children in the early years achieve very well, but leaders do not yet monitor all wider curriculum subjects in enough depth to identify improvement priorities across the whole curriculum. In the early years, some independent activities do not consistently extend children's learning, and staff do not always maximise high-quality interactions throughout the day. Governors are also refining how they document the challenge they provide to leaders. This is a two-school trust school with a specially resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs; all five pupils in that provision have education, health and care plans. The school has low free school meal eligibility and an above-average proportion of pupils with EHC plans. Safeguarding standards are met. Overall, this is a high-performing and caring infant school with clear, focused next steps rather than serious concerns.

Strengths

• Pupils learn the curriculum very well, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Teachers have consistently high expectations and secure the foundations of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Phonics outcomes in Year 1 are significantly above national averages over time.
• Curriculum design helps pupils revisit and apply learning, with 'memory moments' used to check retention.
• Attendance is consistently high, and persistent absence is significantly below national averages.
• Pupils are confident, compassionate and kind, and behaviour in lessons and around school is strong.
• Inclusion is a strength, with early identification, tailored support and effective pupil premium use.
• The specially resourced SEND provision is fully integrated into school life.
• Personal development and wellbeing are central, supported by a sequenced PSHE programme and rich enrichment.
• Pupils have a secure understanding of safety, British values and how to seek help.
• Teaching is effective, with clear explanations, skilled questioning and thoughtful adaptation for SEND.
• Early years children achieve very well and are happy, engaged and well supported.
• Leadership has a secure understanding of the school, strong local partnerships and positive staff and parent relationships.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders' oversight of some wider curriculum subjects is less well developed, limiting their ability to identify and address improvement priorities across all subjects.
• Leaders need to further develop systems to check how well all subjects are being taught.
• In the early years, staff do not always maximise opportunities to extend children's learning during some independent activities.
• Consistency in early years high-quality interactions throughout the day needs improvement to deepen children's learning.
• Governors are still refining how they document the challenge they provide to leaders.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Orchard Infant School attended 96.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at The Orchard Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Orchard Infant School had 22.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.0% of pupils at The Orchard Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 5 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Orchard Infant School received £6,718 and spent £7,063 for each of its 251 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £154,000 (£613 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Elmbridge · Surrey local authority: places and applications

The Orchard Infant School is part of Voice Education Trust, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Burhill Primary School Hersham

What is The Orchard Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Orchard Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Orchard Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Orchard Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Orchard Infant School have?

The Orchard Infant School has 251 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Orchard Infant School cover?

The Orchard Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is The Orchard Infant School?

The Orchard Infant School is at Bridge Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9HT.