Cranleigh Church of England Primary School

In 2024-25, 21% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at KS2, compared with 60% across England, and 0% reached the higher standard (England 8%). No 2023-24 figure is published, so there is no trend to judge yet. Absence figures are also not published in the data.

What Ofsted found

The academy itself has not yet been inspected. The reports available relate to the predecessor school (URN 135566), before it became an academy.

That predecessor school was inspected on 13 and 14 December 2022, in a report published in March 2023, and judged Inadequate, with special measures. Inspectors said pupils did "not receive an acceptable standard of education". Quality of education, leadership and early years were judged Inadequate; behaviour and personal development Requires improvement. The report raised concerns about teachers' subject knowledge, support for pupils with SEND, reading books not matched to the sounds pupils knew, and governance.

A monitoring visit on 12 and 13 September 2023, with the letter published in October 2023, found that leaders had "made progress to improve the school", but more work was needed. Leadership changes had slowed improvement at first, but an interim executive board, a new headteacher and a new SENCo had added capacity. The curriculum had been reviewed, though the use of new teaching strategies was "very much in its infancy". The letter said reading needed further work urgently and that staff needed more training to support pupils with SEND. Early years, attendance and behaviour were improving, and safeguarding was effective.

How it compares nearby

The nearest similar schools in the data are St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Primary School (0.4 mi, Ofsted Good, 72% at KS2) and Park Mead Primary (0.8 mi, no Ofsted grade in the data, 58%). Ewhurst CofE Aided Infant School (2.2 mi) is an infant school without KS2 results. On the latest KS2 figures, Cranleigh is well behind both nearby primaries.

Who it may suit

This is a school in recovery. It may suit local families who value a Church of England ethos and a smaller setting, and who are willing to look closely at how much has changed since 2023. The school's website says it now receives specialist PE teaching and offers instrumental music lessons.

Before choosing, ask what has changed in reading and phonics teaching, how pupils with SEND are supported, and when the academy expects its first inspection. Families for whom strong current results matter most may want to compare St Cuthbert Mayne and Park Mead closely.

May suit: Local families wanting a small Church of England primary who are prepared to look closely at its recovery and ask detailed questions about teaching, reading and SEND support.

Drafted with the help of AI tools from our research notes and the sources above, then checked and edited by EduNavigate Research Team before publishing.