Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery
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Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery is a converter academy in Lightwater for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 199 pupils, 19 more than it has places for. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 24 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Catena Rise, Lightwater, GU18 5RD01276 473346lightwatervillageschool.orgMrs Francesca Hooker headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 September 2022, 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
Admissions policy not published.
68 places were empty (38% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 34% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
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. Every child who applied got a place (53 offers for 60 places).
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (4), Physical disability (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), emotional and mental health (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 199 | 179 | 133 | 147 | 173 | 177 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 6% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 5% | 6% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 9% | 10% | 2% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 6% | 5% | 5% | 8% | 6% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 5% | 3% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.5% 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 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 5.8% | 1.8% | 2.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 4.9% | 1.5% | 2.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.3% | 0.4% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 14.3% | 11.8% | 11.7% | 15.1% | 1.7% | 3.3% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 2.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightwater Village Junior School | Academy | 400 m | 183 | Good 2024 | 47 | Compare |
| Connaught Junior School | Academy | 0.7 miles | 470 | Outstanding 2023 | 69 | Compare |
| Bagshot Infant School | Council | 0.9 miles | 147 | Good 2023 | 16 | Compare |
| Windlesham Village Infant School | Academy | 1.4 miles | 68 | Good 2024 | 47 | Compare |
| Holy Trinity CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.9 miles | 451 | Good 2022 | 78 | Compare |
| Pine Ridge Infant School & Nursery | Academy | 1.9 miles | 104 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Valley End CofE Infant School | Academy | 2.0 miles | 163 | No overall grade 2024 | 100 | Compare |
| Heather Ridge Infant School | Council | 2.0 miles | 184 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery with the 47 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 47 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 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heather Ridge Infant School | Council | 2.0 miles | 184 | Good 2023 | 60 | Compare |
| Sandringham Infant & Nursery Academy | Academy | 3.8 miles | 210 | Good 2024 | 39 | Compare |
| Wildmoor Heath School | Academy | 4.8 miles | 208 | Report card 2026 | 57 | Compare |
| Winkfield St Mary's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 5.7 miles | 207 | Not inspected | 66 | Compare |
| Cranbourne Primary School | Council | 5.8 miles | 202 | No overall grade 2025 | 77 | Compare |
| White Waltham CofE Academy | Academy | 10.4 miles | 204 | Good 2024 | 78 | Compare |
| The Royal Kent CofE Primary School | Church of England | 13.7 miles | 204 | Good 2024 | 76 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 24 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 24% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 10 to 52. 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 | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 4.0 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.37 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.01 | 2024/25; 84 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 Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery a good school?
The figures are weak. Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery scores 24 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 2% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 10 to 52, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery good at its last full inspection on 28 September 2022.
How many pupils does Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery have?
199 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 111% full.
Is Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery oversubscribed?
Probably not. 68 places were empty in 2024/25 (38% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery?
Pupils were in school 94.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Lightwater Village Infant School and Nursery?
The average class had 23.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 14% 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
- Catena Rise, Lightwater, GU18 5RD
- Telephone
- 01276 473346
- Website
- www.lightwatervillageschool.org
- Headteacher
- Mrs Francesca Hooker
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- GLF Schools (43 schools)
- Local authority
- Surrey
- Ward
- Lightwater
- Constituency
- Surrey Heath
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 November 2015 (academy converter)
- URN
- 142433 · LAESTAB 9362269 · UKPRN 10054612
- Formerly
- Lightwater Village School
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: Surrey council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 2026.
- 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.