Find the best primary schools in Elmbridge. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Elmbridge has 28 primary schools, all in Surrey council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 28, 12 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Elmbridge primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Long Ditton St Mary's CofE (Aided) Junior School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.7 / 5 |
| Esher Church School | Church of England | 4.7 / 5 |
| St Lawrence CofE Aided Junior School, East Molesey | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
| Cleves School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
| St Matthew's CofE Aided Infant School, Cobham | Church of England | 4.6 / 5 |
| Claygate Primary School |
There are 28 primary schools in Elmbridge. Of those, 1 is an all-through school, teaching both primary and secondary years.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. If you live in Elmbridge, that council is Surrey. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 28 primary schools in Elmbridge, 12 have a religious character: 8 Church of England and 4 Roman Catholic. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Long Ditton St Mary's CofE (Aided) Junior School (4.8), Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School (4.8), Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary School (4.7), Esher Church School (4.7) and St Lawrence CofE Aided Junior School, East Molesey (4.6). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. Of the 28 schools here, 27 have enough published data for a rating.
| Mixed |
| 4.4 / 5 |
| Hinchley Wood Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St Paul's Catholic Primary School, Thames Ditton | Roman Catholic | 4.4 / 5 |
| Oatlands School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Charles Borromeo Catholic Primary School, Weybridge | Roman Catholic | 4.3 / 5 |
| Grovelands Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Thames Ditton Junior School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| St Alban's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.2 / 5 |
| Cobham Free School | all-through | 4.2 / 5 |
| Manby Lodge Infant School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| The Orchard Infant School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| Thames Ditton Infant School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St James CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| The Royal Kent CofE Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 / 5 |
| Walton Oak Primary School | Mixed | 3.8 / 5 |
| Ashley Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.7 / 5 |
| Cranmere Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Burhill Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Hurst Park Primary Academy | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Chandlers Field Primary Academy | Mixed | Not yet rated |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.