Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School

Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School is a welcoming, nurturing village school where pupils feel happy, safe and well supported. Staff have high expectations and consistent routines from Nursery onwards, and pupils achieve highly, including those with SEND. The curriculum is broad and ambitious and builds sequentially, with particularly strong early years provision and a wide range of personal development opportunities. The school’s early years and personal development work stand out. Children in Nursery and Reception are deeply engaged in meaningful play, develop language and independence, and benefit from skilful adult interaction. Phonics teaching is expert, reading is promoted well, and pupils behave respectfully and take on responsibilities. Safeguarding is effective, and governors are clear about their duties and mindful of staff workload. There is one main area for improvement: in a small minority of foundation subjects, learning tasks are not always closely matched to the intended curriculum, which can limit how deeply some pupils learn. This is a school that had not had a routine section 5 inspection since 2014 and was inspected for the first time since the pandemic; under the current framework it does not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Nurturing, welcoming culture where pupils feel happy and safe
• High expectations and consistent routines from Nursery and Reception
• Pupils achieve highly, including those with SEND
• Broad, ambitious curriculum that builds sequentially from Nursery to Year 2
• Excellent early years provision with meaningful play and skilled adult interaction
• Expert phonics teaching and a strong focus on reading
• Staff check understanding, address misconceptions and revisit key knowledge
• Pupils behave well and show responsibility and respect
• Excellent wider opportunities through clubs, trips, outdoor learning and pupil roles
• Strong personal development, including citizenship, safety and environmental care
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Governors understand their responsibilities and consider staff workload

Areas for Improvement

• In a small minority of foundation subjects, tasks are not always well matched to the intended learning, limiting how deeply some pupils understand the curriculum

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 Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.2% 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 Chilworth CofE (Aided) 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 Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School had 12.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.8% 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, 12.9% of pupils at Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.4% 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 Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School received £11,278 and spent £11,855 for each of its 70 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £16,000 (-£224 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 Guildford · Surrey local authority: places and applications

What is Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School have?

Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School has 70 pupils on roll.

What age range does Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School cover?

Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School?

Chilworth CofE (Aided) Infant School is at Dorking Road, Chilworth, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 8NP.