School Chooser

Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil372 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubThornton HeathCroydon
School Chooser Score
30
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 58, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
#11,207 of 16,041 in England#62 in CroydonHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Attendance93.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families27%About the same as most schools in England
Places78 spare372 pupils, 450 places
Pupils per teacher26.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll372Census January 2026

Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School is a council school in Thornton Heath for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 372 pupils and room for 450. About 27 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 30 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Winterbourne Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 7QT020 8689 7684winterbournenurseryandinfants.co.ukMs Petra Wigzell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 13 September 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places331 pupils for 450 places, 2024/25
74% full

119 places were empty (26% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 14% since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Croydon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

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 roll372Census January 2026
Places45083% full
Pupils from low-income families22%27% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English70%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%41 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%16 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.316 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)25%£117,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls165 / 207
White British pupils1%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 12 pupils, for autism, hearing impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Croydon with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (44), emotional and mental health (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Other difficulty or disability (1), Physical disability (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll372415439427367355
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals22%25%24%19%19%21%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language70%71%66%67%68%67%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–14%14%13%14%12%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–4%3%2%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance93.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school24.1%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.7%8.1%8.9%8.2%6.4%4.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.4%6.6%6.9%6.9%5.1%3.5%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.5%2.0%1.3%1.3%1.2%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence24.1%31.4%34.5%31.5%19.7%12.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 13 people
Pupils per teacher26.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers92%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants10.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,972
Teachers who left in the year31%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher3.32024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,401England £7,738. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£8,251England £7,697. Total £3.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,579England £3,480
Money in reserve11%A healthy amount put by: £349k, £939 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£316kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,401spent 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 m1,11612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate84 per 1,000 people8% lower than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Croydon
Nearest bus stop150 mHeathview Road, 10 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
Winterbourne Boys' AcademyAcademy0 m201Good 202290Compare
Winterbourne Junior Girls' SchoolCouncil0 m260Good 202492Compare
Paxton Academy Sports And ScienceFree school520 m281Good 202274Compare
Gonville AcademyAcademy700 m427Good 202388Compare
St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery SchoolAcademy990 m447Outstanding 202394Compare
Ecclesbourne Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles417Good 202348Compare
Beulah Infants' SchoolAcademy0.8 miles197Good 202316Compare
Beulah Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles215Requires improvement 20245Compare
Primary schools in CroydonPrimary schools in Thornton HeathBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School with the 50 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 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats18%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 30 is 32 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 4 · middle 62 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' 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
Gonville AcademyAcademy700 m427Good 202388Compare
Redriff Primary, City of London AcademyAcademy7.9 miles456Outstanding 202399Compare
Wendell Park Primary SchoolCouncil9.2 miles391Good 202290Compare
Royal Wharf Primary SchoolFree school9.3 miles439Good 202361Compare
Roman Road Primary SchoolCouncil10.9 miles310Good 202392Compare
Anson Primary SchoolCouncil11.6 miles418Good 202471Compare
Crane Park Primary SchoolCouncil11.9 miles444Not inspected72Compare
Mora Primary SchoolCouncil12.0 miles415Good 202469Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 30 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 30% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 58. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.02
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.30
2024/25; 261 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
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 Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School a good school?

The figures are weak. Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School scores 30 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 18% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 58, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School good at its last full inspection on 13 September 2023.

How many pupils does Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School have?

372 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 450 places, so it is 83% full.

Is Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 119 places were empty in 2024/25 (26% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School?

Pupils were in school 93.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 24% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School?

The average class had 23.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism, hearing impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Winterbourne Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 7QT
Telephone
020 8689 7684
Website
www.winterbournenurseryandinfants.co.uk
Headteacher
Ms Petra Wigzell
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Croydon
Ward
Bensham Manor
Constituency
Croydon West
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
101746 · LAESTAB 3062051 · UKPRN 10071939
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from