Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery is a 216-pupil school within the GLF Schools trust. A full section 5 inspection took place in June 2026, and safeguarding was confirmed as met. The school is generally performing at the expected standard across most areas, including achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Attendance and behaviour is the one area identified as needing attention, although the report is clear that pupils' behaviour is calm, positive and well managed; the concern is specifically about attendance. The school has above-average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND or EHC plans, and leaders appointed since the last inspection have brought ambition, sharper oversight and a clear improvement agenda. The strongest aspects of the school include its broad and well-sequenced curriculum, effective early years provision, inclusive culture, and strong support for pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning. Pupils feel safe, respected and well supported, and staff-pupil relationships are highly effective. Behaviour is calm and focused, pupils benefit from enrichment opportunities, and leadership and governance are effective, with good use of trust and external support. Outcomes have improved over recent years, including in reading and mathematics, and leaders' renewed approach to early reading is beginning to have a positive impact. The main concerns are attendance and early writing. Persistent absence remains high, and overall absence is well above national averages, meaning pupils miss learning and wider opportunities. In addition, some pupils are not yet sufficiently fluent writers, particularly by the end of key stage 1, and teaching is less effective at addressing early writing errors such as handwriting. The school's next steps rightly focus on continuing to improve attendance and strengthening the teaching of early writing so that pupils can apply these skills across the curriculum.

Strengths

• Broad, engaging and well-sequenced curriculum across the school.
• Effective early reading approach that is improving pupils' phonics outcomes after a previous dip.
• Strong early years provision where children settle quickly and make effective progress.
• Prompt identification and effective support for pupils with SEND and additional needs.
• Inclusive culture that reduces barriers to attendance, belonging and participation.
• Highly effective pastoral care and strong relationships between staff and pupils.
• Calm and focused behaviour, with high expectations and consistent routines.
• Pupils feel safe, respected and included, and value leadership and enrichment opportunities.
• Effective leadership and governance, including constructive trust partnership and support for staff development.
• Pupils with SEND and other barriers to learning make good progress from their starting points.
• Targeted support for disadvantaged pupils and their families is in place and recent outcomes are improving.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains high, so pupils miss learning and wider opportunities.
• Overall absence rates are well above national averages.
• Some pupils are not yet sufficiently fluent writers by the end of key stage 1.
• Teaching is less effective at addressing early writing errors, particularly handwriting.
• Some pupils are not fluent enough in writing to demonstrate their knowledge across the curriculum.
• Year 1 phonics outcomes dipped below national averages before leaders' actions helped pupils catch up.
• Historic outcomes in combined reading, writing and mathematics and in writing have been below national averages, although recent results are improving.

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 Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery attended 91.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.5% 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, 5.1% of pupils at Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery 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 Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 60.0% 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, 24.7% of pupils at Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% 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 2024–25 Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery received £7,574 and spent £8,269 for each of its 217 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £184,000 (£852 per pupil).

Across all 42 schools of Glf Schools, income was £7,514 and spending £7,514 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 Caterham · Surrey local authority: places and applications

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery is part of Glf Schools, which runs 43 schools. The nearest others:

• de Stafford School Caterham
• Whyteleafe Primary School Whyteleafe
• Hillcroft Primary School & Nursery Caterham
• Warlingham Village Primary School Warlingham
• Meridian High School Croydon
• Merstham Park School Redhill
• Merstham Primary School Redhill
• Lime Tree Primary School and Nursery Merstham
• Banstead Infant School and Nursery Banstead
• Chestnut Park Primary School Croydon

What is Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery have?

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery has 215 pupils on roll.

What age range does Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery cover?

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery?

Marden Lodge Primary School and Nursery is at Croydon Road, Caterham, Surrey, CR3 6QH.