Sythwood Primary and Nursery School

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School is a larger-than-average inclusive primary school that is part of the Bourne Education Trust and includes a resourced provision for pupils with visual impairments. Following a full inspection in May 2026, the school was judged to be meeting the expected standard across all areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage, with high proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have a clear vision, high expectations, and a well-sequenced curriculum that prioritises English and mathematics. Pupils generally achieve well, attendance has improved, and behaviour is positive. The school is described as inclusive, with particularly strong support for pupils with visual impairments, and staff feel well supported.

Strengths

• Inclusive school with high expectations for all pupils
• Pupils achieve well overall, with outcomes broadly in line with national averages
• Strong leadership with a clear vision and accurate identification of improvement areas
• Effective governance and trust support, with robust safeguarding practices
• Pupils behave well, attend regularly, and feel safe and cared for
• High-quality support for pupils with visual impairments in the resourced provision
• Well-sequenced curriculum that builds understanding over time
• Embedded phonics teaching ensures pupils learn to read well
• Thoughtfully designed personal development programme with plentiful extra-curricular activities
• Staff are well supported, with a focus on wellbeing and professional development

Areas for Improvement

• The quality of pupils’ handwriting is inconsistent, and the new handwriting programme needs time to embed
• Sometimes pupils do not receive the curriculum adaptations they need, particularly those with SEND or who are disadvantaged, limiting their achievement
• Early years interactions are occasionally not sharply aligned to children’s needs and intended learning, reducing effectiveness in developing language and communication
• Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages and the disadvantage gap remains wide
• Pupils’ recall of some personal development content, such as healthy and unhealthy relationships, is less secure

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 Sythwood Primary and Nursery School attended 94.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.7% 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, 0.4% of pupils at Sythwood Primary and Nursery 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 Sythwood Primary and Nursery School had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.2% 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, 25.9% of pupils at Sythwood Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 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 Sythwood Primary and Nursery School received £7,709 and spent £7,593 for each of its 504 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £582,000 (£1,156 per pupil).

Across all 27 schools of Bourne Education Trust, income was £8,217 and spending £7,648 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 Woking · Surrey local authority: places and applications

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School is part of Bourne Education Trust, which runs 30 schools. The nearest others:

• New Monument Primary Academy Woking
• Brookwood Primary School Woking
• Broadmere Primary Academy Woking
• Jubilee High School Addlestone
• Sayes Court School Addlestone
• Pyrcroft Grange Primary School Chertsey
• Chertsey High School Addlestone
• Philip Southcote School Addlestone
• Kings International College Camberley
• The Matthew Arnold School Staines-Upon-Thames

What is Sythwood Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sythwood Primary and Nursery School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Sythwood Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Sythwood Primary and Nursery School have?

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School has 487 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sythwood Primary and Nursery School cover?

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sythwood Primary and Nursery School?

Sythwood Primary and Nursery School is at Sythwood, Horsell, Woking, Surrey, GU21 3AX.