St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham

St Matthew’s CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham is a small voluntary aided infant school where pupils are very happy and thrive in a nurturing, values-led environment. The school has a rigorous and ambitious curriculum, expert teaching, strong early reading and mathematics provision, and effective support for pupils with SEND. Children get an excellent start in early years, with a sharp focus on communication, language and vocabulary. Behaviour is exceptional, attendance is strong, and pupils’ personal development is exceptional, including their understanding of faiths, cultures and community responsibility. Leadership and governance are highly effective. Governors are knowledgeable and use their experience well to challenge and support leaders, staff are proud to work at the school, and parents are overwhelmingly positive. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school is outward-looking and works with other schools to refine practice. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since October 2013, when it was judged outstanding and was subsequently exempt from routine inspection. Since September 2024, schools inspected under section 5 are not awarded an overall effectiveness grade. No areas of concern were identified in the report.

Strengths

• Pupils are very happy and benefit from a nurturing, values-led atmosphere.
• The curriculum is rigorous, ambitious and clearly specifies the knowledge pupils will learn.
• Staff have excellent subject knowledge and model new learning consistently well.
• Pupils make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils who struggle, including in phonics, are quickly identified and given focused support.
• Teachers check learning effectively and adapt teaching to fill gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
• Pupils with SEND are identified early and receive targeted adaptations so they can learn effectively.
• Children make an excellent start in early years and settle into highly effective routines.
• Early years provision has a strong focus on communication, language and vocabulary development.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, with clear and consistently applied expectations.
• Attendance is strong, with highly effective systems to support regular and punctual attendance.
• Personal development provision is exceptional, including pupils’ understanding of democracy, respect, tolerance and fairness.
• Visits and clubs help pupils develop a strong awareness of cultures and faiths and build character.
• Governance is highly effective, with knowledgeable governors who challenge and support leaders.
• Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at the school and value learning from colleagues in other schools.
• Parents are very positive about the school and describe it as wonderful and nurturing.
• 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 St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham attended 93.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.9% 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 St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham 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 St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.3% 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, 7.4% of pupils at St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham received £9,417 and spent £9,436 for each of its 68 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £12,000 (£169 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 Cobham · Surrey local authority: places and applications

What is St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham last inspected by Ofsted?

St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham have?

St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham has 68 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham cover?

St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham?

St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham is at Downside, Cobham, Surrey, KT11 3NA.