Shere CofE Aided Infant School

Shere CofE Aided Infant School is a small, welcoming church infant school that remains good. Inspectors found a nurturing community where pupils, including those with SEND, are well supported and achieve well in most subjects. The curriculum has been improved and is well sequenced and engaging, early years communication and language work is strong, and phonics is taught effectively with good support for pupils who fall behind. Pupils behave well, take pride in roles of responsibility and benefit from outdoor learning and trips. Safeguarding is effective, parents are positive, and leaders manage staff workload well. There are two main areas for improvement. Some pupils, including some with SEND, do not master accurate letter formation, grammar and punctuation, which limits the quality of their writing across the curriculum. In addition, a few pupils attend too infrequently and therefore miss essential learning. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. It is federated with Clandon CofE Aided Primary School as part of the Newlands CofE School Federation, shares an executive headteacher, SENCO and governing body, and includes provision for two-year-olds. Under the arrangements for graded inspections from September 2024, no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Welcoming, nurturing school at the heart of the local community
• High expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
• Well-constructed, engaging curriculum that builds on prior knowledge
• Strong early years provision with effective communication and language support
• Effective phonics teaching and support for pupils who fall behind in reading
• Quick identification of SEND and personalised support in lessons
• Positive pupil behaviour and respectful interactions
• Strong personal development through pupil roles, voting and environmental responsibility
• Enriching outdoor learning and trips that bring the curriculum to life
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Governors check curriculum improvement and staff value workload and well-being support
• Parents are positive about the school

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, including some with SEND, do not master accurate letter formation, grammar and punctuation
• This limits some pupils' ability to produce high-quality writing across the curriculum
• A few pupils have low attendance and miss essential learning

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 Shere CofE Aided Infant School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.1% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Shere 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 Shere CofE Aided Infant School had 12.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 22.6% of pupils at Shere CofE Aided Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Shere CofE Aided Infant School received £12,381 and spent £12,775 for each of its 130 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £143,000 (£1,101 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). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Shere CofE Aided Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Shere CofE Aided Infant School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Shere CofE Aided Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Shere CofE Aided Infant School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Shere CofE Aided Infant School have?

Shere CofE Aided Infant School has 53 pupils on roll.

What age range does Shere CofE Aided Infant School cover?

Shere CofE Aided Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is Shere CofE Aided Infant School?

Shere CofE Aided Infant School is at Gomshall Lane, Shere, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 9HB.