Walsh CofE Infant School

Walsh CofE Infant School is a caring, ambitious school where pupils feel safe and happy and where leaders have high expectations for academic achievement and personal development. This was its first section 5 inspection, with no overall effectiveness grade awarded under the current framework; the predecessor school had previously been judged outstanding before academy conversion, and the school is now part of The Good Shepherd Trust and has experienced significant leadership and staff change. The curriculum is well structured from early years into key stage 1, builds on prior learning and is taught by staff with strong subject knowledge. Early reading has been strengthened: phonics is now taught consistently well, pupils who fall behind are identified quickly and receive effective support. SEND identification and provision are also stronger, and pupils with SEND are well supported to succeed. Pupils generally behave well, enjoy learning and benefit from a rich programme of enrichment and personal development, including trips, visitors and pupil responsibilities. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and parents are highly positive. The main area for improvement is attendance. Leaders track absence closely and work with families, but their actions are not yet having the desired impact for some pupils, including some vulnerable pupils, and absence remains too high for these groups, limiting their access to learning and wider opportunities.

Strengths

• Caring and ambitious community where pupils feel safe, happy and confident.
• Clear, well-structured curriculum from early years through Year 2 that builds on prior learning.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly.
• Early reading has been strengthened, with phonics taught consistently well and effective catch-up support.
• Strong systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND, enabling them to succeed.
• Pupils enjoy learning and generally behave well in lessons and around school.
• Breaktimes are well managed and resourced, supporting positive behaviour.
• Rich personal development and enrichment opportunities, including trips, visitors and pupil responsibilities.
• Leaders have high inclusive ambition, and governors and trustees understand priorities and challenge leaders.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains too high for some pupils, including some vulnerable pupils, limiting their access to learning and wider opportunities.
• Leaders' attendance improvement processes are not yet having the desired impact for all pupils.

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 Walsh CofE Infant School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.5% 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, 3.8% of pupils at Walsh CofE 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 Walsh CofE Infant School had 18.0 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, 18.9% of pupils at Walsh CofE Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.3% 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 Walsh CofE Infant School received £16,333 and spent £15,030 for each of its 183 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £91,000 (£495 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of The Good Shepherd Trust, income was £7,677 and spending £7,643 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.

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All schools in Guildford · Surrey local authority: places and applications

Walsh CofE Infant School is part of The Good Shepherd Trust, which runs 23 schools. The nearest others:

• Walsh CofE Junior School Ash
• Puttenham CofE Infant School Guildford
• St Andrew's Church of England Infant School Farnham
• Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School Farnham
• Potters Gate CofE Primary School Farnham
• Farnborough Grange Nursery & Infant Community School Farnborough
• Queen Eleanor's Church of England School Guildford
• St Mark and All Saints Church of England Primary Godalming
• Christ's College, Guildford Guildford
• Bramley CofE Infant School and Nursery Guildford

What is Walsh CofE Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Walsh CofE Infant School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Walsh CofE Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Walsh CofE Infant School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Walsh CofE Infant School have?

Walsh CofE Infant School has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Walsh CofE Infant School cover?

Walsh CofE Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Walsh CofE Infant School?

Walsh CofE Infant School is at Ash Street, Ash, Surrey, GU12 6LT.