Crofton Infant School

Crofton Infant School is a highly effective, inclusive school. Inspectors found personal development and wellbeing to be exceptional, and the school performs strongly across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, and leadership and governance. Safeguarding standards are met. The school is part of the Mosaic Schools Learning Trust and has a specialist resource provision for 19 pupils with complex speech, language and communication needs, many of whom have an autism diagnosis. Pupils are happy, safe and well supported. Behaviour is exemplary, attendance is improving and absence is well below national averages. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced from Nursery to Year 2, with strong foundations in reading, writing and mathematics. Staff use questioning and feedback effectively, adapt teaching for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, and know pupils very well. The early years and pastoral/inclusion work are particular strengths. Leadership is clear and well supported by trust leaders and governors, and staff feel valued and well equipped. The only identified next step is to deepen research-informed practice to further sharpen teaching adaptations. There are no significant areas of concern; pupils leave very well prepared for the next stage of education and for life in modern Britain.

Strengths

• Exceptional personal development and wellbeing provision that builds resilience, empathy and life skills.
• Strong mental health and wellbeing curriculum starting in Nursery and adapted for pupils facing greater barriers.
• Wide range of enrichment, cultural and extra-curricular experiences accessible to all pupils.
• Pupils achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics from their individual starting points.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND develop strong understanding and communication skills.
• Highly proactive attendance work with sustained improvement and absence below national averages.
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and a culture where bullying is never tolerated.
• Well-designed, carefully sequenced curriculum from Nursery to Year 2.
• Systematic early reading and phonics teaching matched to pupils' stages of development.
• Skilful questioning and swift feedback that address gaps and misconceptions.
• Vibrant early years provision with purposeful play and strong language and communication development.
• Inclusive culture with robust identification and tailored support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Strong pastoral offer and effective partnership with external agencies.
• Clear, insightful leadership and governance with shared ambition across the trust and governors.
• Well-designed professional learning offer that supports staff expertise, workload and wellbeing.
• Specialist resource provision that develops pupils' life, self-help, sensory and communication skills.
• Pupils take on meaningful roles such as first-aid buddies and wellbeing ambassadors and contribute to the community.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching adaptations could be further strengthened through deeper use of research-informed practice.

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 Crofton Infant School attended 96.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.6% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Crofton 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 Crofton Infant School had 23.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.9% 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, 2.4% of pupils at Crofton Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 20 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 2024–25 Crofton Infant School received £6,947 and spent £7,127 for each of its 590 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £311,000 (£527 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Mosaic Schools Learning Trust, income was £6,868 and spending £6,990 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

Crofton Infant School is part of Mosaic Schools Learning Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Crofton Junior School Orpington
• Raglan Primary School Bromley
• Wickham Common Primary School West Wickham
• Valley Primary School Bromley
• Unicorn Primary School Beckenham
• Oak Lodge Primary School West Wickham
• Marian Vian Primary School Beckenham
• River Mill Primary School Dartford
• Cage Green Primary School Tonbridge

What is Crofton Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crofton Infant School is Strong standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Crofton Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Crofton Infant School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Crofton Infant School have?

Crofton Infant School has 590 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crofton Infant School cover?

Crofton Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is Crofton Infant School?

Crofton Infant School is at Towncourt Lane, Petts Wood, Orpington, Kent, BR5 1EL.