Alder Grove Church of England Primary School, Shinfield
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Shinfield, part of The Keys Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. For 2026 entry it had 2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 72% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- 2 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wokingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School in detail
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It is my great pleasure to welcome you to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School, where we continue to grow as a vibrant community of learning, grounded in our Christian Vision inspired by Psalm 1:3: As a school we aim for every child to flourish and thrive, nurtured by strong roots of personal development, knowledge, and character."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £6 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 116 families put Alder Grove Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 222 named it as one of their preferences, for 58 places offered. That is 2 first choices for every place. 59 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School are Shinfield Infant and Nursery School (0.4 miles); Shinfield St Mary's CofE Junior School (0.5 miles); Geoffrey Field Junior School (1.2 miles, Good, 70% reading, 80% maths); and Geoffrey Field Infant School (1.2 miles, Outstanding).
Shinfield Infant and Nursery SchoolShinfield St Mary's CofE Junior SchoolGeoffrey Field Junior SchoolGeoffrey Field Infant School
The trust
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is one of 13 schools run by The Keys Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 74% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 35.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (50%), Asian (27%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 15 pupils (3.7%) received SEN support and 14 (3.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Staffing
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School had 20 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Reading Green Park, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clarendon Row (adjacent), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Alder Grove Church of England Primary School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Alder Grove Church of England Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 0.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School are Oakbank School (0.4 miles) and Hartland High School (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
4.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
31.1
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.2
KS2
13
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Alder Grove Church of England Primary School.
- Funtastic@Alder GroveAt the school · Not yet graded
- GetActive@ShinfieldInfantNursery School670m away · Not yet graded
- Get Active @shinfield St Mary's840m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Wokingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is in Wokingham; for families living there:
Apply to Wokingham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Alder Grove Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Alder Grove Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School.
- Wokingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Alder Grove Church of England Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wokingham got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
72%
Available places
301 pupils
420 places
119 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Shinfield
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Shinfield
Across Wokingham council
Places available
2,172
Applications
1,832
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All primary applications across Wokingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 2 first choices per place
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
7.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
404
Total Pupils
213
Boys
191
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,013
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,558
Per pupil
£2131k
Total funding
£12k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.7%
Overall absence
3.6%
Persistent absence
248
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about Alder Grove Church of England Primary School
What is Alder Grove Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023.
What is the catchment area for Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Wokingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 72% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Classes at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School average 31.1 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School has around 404 pupils on roll. 4% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
3.7% of sessions were missed at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 3.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Wokingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Alder Grove Church of England Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Alder Grove Church of England Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Funtastic@Alder Grove (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Alder Grove Church of England Primary School?
Alder Grove Church of England Primary School is at Alder Grove, Shinfield, Berkshire, RG2 9RA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)