Barnett Wood Infant School

Barnett Wood Infant School is a highly inclusive and high-performing infant school where pupils thrive. Inspectors found the school outstanding across every area judged, with pupils achieving highly in reading, writing, mathematics and the wider curriculum. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary, their personal development is exceptionally strong, and staff have the highest expectations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. The school’s ambitious curriculum, expert phonics teaching, strong early years provision and wide range of enrichment opportunities are notable strengths. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and governors, staff and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. The inspection was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first since 2013, when it was also judged outstanding. Under the current graded inspection framework, the school received judgements for each key area but no overall effectiveness grade. There were no significant concerns identified in the report. Leaders know the school’s strengths well, support and challenge are effective, and pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive school where pupils feel safe, happy and included
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils kind, respectful and exemplary
• Highly ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge and skills logically
• Strong subject knowledge and robust checking of pupils’ understanding
• Highly effective phonics and early reading provision
• Pupils achieve highly across reading, writing and mathematics
• Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well
• SEND needs are identified quickly and supported well through family and agency work
• Early years provision builds effectively on children’s starting points
• Excellent personal development, character and resilience opportunities
• Strong PSHE curriculum and clear school values
• Wide range of clubs, trips, speakers and sporting opportunities
• Governors understand their roles and maintain high aspirations
• Staff feel supported with workload and well-being
• Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 Barnett Wood Infant School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.5% 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 Barnett Wood 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 Barnett Wood Infant School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.5% 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, 5.8% of pupils at Barnett Wood Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 Barnett Wood Infant School received £8,076 and spent £8,354 for each of its 139 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £3,000 (-£19 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 Mole Valley · Surrey local authority: places and applications

What is Barnett Wood Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barnett Wood Infant School is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Barnett Wood Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Barnett Wood Infant School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Barnett Wood Infant School have?

Barnett Wood Infant School has 139 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barnett Wood Infant School cover?

Barnett Wood Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Barnett Wood Infant School?

Barnett Wood Infant School is at Barnett Wood Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, KT21 2DF.