School Chooser

Lightwater Village Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedAcademy183 pupilsSurrey
School Chooser Score
47
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 29 to 65
Out of 100. Better than 15% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, February 2024
Reached the expected level at 1166%England 63%
Attendance94.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families9%Far fewer than most schools
Places177 spare183 pupils, 360 places
Pupils per teacher25.4School workforce census

Lightwater Village Junior School is a converter academy in Lightwater for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 183 pupils and room for 360. About 9 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 47 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 15% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Badger Drive, Lightwater, GU18 5TS01276 473972lightwatervillageschool.orgMrs Francesca Hooker executive headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 22 February 2024 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

62 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1166%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level5%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score108.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 79%79%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 67%67%20192023: 66%66%20232024: 48%48%20242025: 66%66%2025
Since 2017: -13%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SurreyEngland
Pupils tested625486737978
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths66%48%66%67%68%79%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths5%2%7%12%15%17%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score108.0104.0107.0106.0107.0109.0107.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0100.0104.0105.0105.0107.0105.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score108.0105.0107.0106.0107.0110.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard81%69%83%81%85%90%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%61%73%84%76%87%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)74%63%78%78%84%88%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.2+0.4-0.4+1.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.3-1.4-1.9+0.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged71%0%44%17%33%44%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged65%54%69%72%71%84%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
71%65%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
58%74%
Gap 16 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
14%5%
Gap 9 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places218 pupils for 360 places, 2024/25
61% full

142 places were empty (39% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 32% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

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 (43 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary6043all offeredLA
2025 Primary6033all offeredLA
2024 Primary6041all offeredLA

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.

Pupils on roll183Census January 2026
Places36051% full
Pupils from low-income families9%9% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English7%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support22%40 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%11 pupils with a plan
Average class size30.04 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils25%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)8%£23,250 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls95 / 88
White British pupils77%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (12), emotional and mental health (9), Specific learning difficulty (9), language and communications needs (7), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Physical disability (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll183219254302326315
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals9%8%8%8%5%2%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language7%7%6%5%6%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%12%13%9%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%4%5%4%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school11.2%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.12024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.4%6.3%5.7%5.9%2.2%3.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%4.5%4.6%4.5%1.8%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.8%1.0%1.4%0.4%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence11.2%17.3%13.5%10.8%2.5%3.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.13.53.31.20.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers7.2full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher25.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,140
Teachers who left in the year30%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.02024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£6,922England £7,128. Total £1.5m
Income per pupil£7,320England £7,587. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,954England £3,405
Money in reserve12%A healthy amount put by: £187k, £852 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£87kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,922spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m6312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate51 per 1,000 people44% lower than the England average
Typical house price£475,000Surrey Heath
Nearest bus stop90 mBadger Drive, 13 stops within 500 m

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.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Lightwater Village Infant School and NurseryAcademy400 m199Good 202224Compare
Connaught Junior SchoolAcademy930 m470Outstanding 202369Compare
Bagshot Infant SchoolCouncil0.8 miles147Good 202316Compare
Windlesham Village Infant SchoolAcademy1.5 miles68Good 202447Compare
Pine Ridge Infant School & NurseryAcademy1.7 miles104Not inspectedCompare
Heather Ridge Infant SchoolCouncil1.8 miles184Good 202360Compare
Cordwalles Junior SchoolAcademy2.0 miles218Good 202229Compare
Crawley Ridge Infant SchoolAcademy2.0 miles206Good 202350Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Lightwater Village Junior School 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.

Beats15%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 47 is 24 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 10 · middle 71 · highest 99100

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 Junior 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.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Bentley Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England13.9 miles179Report card 202657Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 47 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 47% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 29 to 65. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%in line
+0.03
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 62 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.6 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.04
DfE progress measure; 62 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.02
2024/25; 224 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 62 pupils
What parents say0%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 Junior School a good school?

It is about average. Lightwater Village Junior School scores 47 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 15% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 65, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Lightwater Village Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Lightwater Village Junior School good at its last full inspection on 22 February 2024.

How good are Lightwater Village Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 66% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 5% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Lightwater Village Junior School have?

183 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 360 places, so it is 51% full.

Is Lightwater Village Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 142 places were empty in 2024/25 (39% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Lightwater Village Junior School?

Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Lightwater Village Junior School?

The average class had 30.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% 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
Badger Drive, Lightwater, GU18 5TS
Telephone
01276 473972
Website
www.lightwatervillageschool.org
Executive Headteacher
Mrs Francesca Hooker
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
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
142426 · LAESTAB 9362918 · UKPRN 10054656
Formerly
Hammond Community Junior School

Where these figures come from