Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
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Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is a free school in Shinfield for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 404 pupils and room for 420. About 4 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 79 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 20% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Alder Grove, Shinfield, RG2 9RA0118 324 7218aldergrove.wokingham.sch.ukMr Philip Theobald headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
119 places were empty (28% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 234% since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 460 m away in 2026, 480 m away in 2025. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 460 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 60 | 223 | 60 | 460 m | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 60 | 214 | 60 | 480 m | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 470 m of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 30.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.2 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (8), language and communications needs (8), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5), emotional and mental health (4), Other difficulty or disability (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 404 | 351 | 290 | 204 | 144 | 66 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 4% | 2% | 2% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 35% | 34% | 32% | 32% | 30% | 24% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 3% | 7% | 10% | 6% | 2% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 2% | 2% | 0% | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 3.7% | 4.2% | 5.0% | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 2.9% | 3.3% | 4.0% | 3.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 3.6% | 4.4% | 9.9% | 6.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinfield Infant and Nursery School | Academy | 620 m | 303 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Shinfield St Mary's CofE Junior School | Academy | 820 m | – | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| Geoffrey Field Infant School | Council | 1.2 miles | 313 | No overall grade 2024 | 96 | Compare |
| Geoffrey Field Junior School | Council | 1.2 miles | 357 | Good 2024 | 38 | Compare |
| Christ The King Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 1.3 miles | 298 | Report card 2026 | 12 | Compare |
| Hillside Primary School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 450 | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| Lambs Lane Primary School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 211 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| The Ridgeway Primary School | Council | 1.7 miles | 362 | No overall grade 2025 | 27 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Alder Grove Church of England Primary School with the 46 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 46 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 46 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Alder Grove Church of England Primary School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emmer Green Primary School | Council | 5.5 miles | 417 | No overall grade 2024 | 94 | Compare |
| St Teresa's Catholic Academy | Academy | 5.5 miles | 342 | Good 2023 | 85 | Compare |
| St Edmund Campion Catholic Primary School and Nursery | Academy | 11.7 miles | 485 | No overall grade 2025 | 100 | Compare |
| Oldfield Primary School | Council | 13.1 miles | 419 | No overall grade 2025 | 99 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 79 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 79% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 55 to 91. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.3 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | in line | +0.07 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.29 | 2024/25; 248 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Alder Grove Church of England Primary School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. Alder Grove Church of England Primary School scores 79 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 20% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 55 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Alder Grove Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Alder Grove Church of England Primary School good at its last full inspection on 13 June 2023.
How many pupils does Alder Grove Church of England Primary School have?
404 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 420 places, so it is 96% full.
Is Alder Grove Church of England Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 460 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Pupils were in school 96.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 4% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
The average class had 31.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 23% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Alder Grove, Shinfield, RG2 9RA
- Telephone
- 0118 324 7218
- Website
- www.aldergrove.wokingham.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Philip Theobald
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Oxford
- Multi-academy trust
- The Keys Academy Trust (13 schools)
- Local authority
- Wokingham
- Ward
- Shinfield
- Constituency
- Earley and Woodley
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2020 (new provision)
- URN
- 147862 · LAESTAB 8722009 · UKPRN 10086488
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Wokingham council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.