Briar Hill Infant School, Leamington Spa
Briar Hill Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Leamington Spa. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 110% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Warwickshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Briar Hill Infant School in detail
Briar Hill Infant School in its own words
The school runs after-school care.
On phones, the school says: "'Zones of Regulation' practice and provision at Briar Hil and St Margaret's Smartphone Free Childhood We are a Smartphone Free Childhood School and so we do not permit children to bring a Smartphone to school at Briar Hill or at St.Margarets."
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Briar Hill Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 110 families put Briar Hill Infant School as their first choice and 255 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 27 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Briar Hill Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Briar Hill Infant School are St. Margaret's CofE Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 82% reading, 81% maths); St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy (0.2 miles); St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 80% maths); and Whitnash Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 88% maths).
St. Margaret's CofE Junior SchoolSt Joseph's Catholic Primary AcademySt Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolWhitnash Primary School
What parents say
65 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Briar Hill Infant School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 80% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (80%).
Who goes there
10.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 46.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (47%), Asian (31%) and Mixed (6%).
Briar Hill Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 6 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leamington Spa Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harrow Road (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Briar Hill Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 137 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Warwickshire (88), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Briar Hill Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Briar Hill Infant School are Campion School (0.7 miles) and Oakley School (0.9 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from February 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Briar Hill is a warm, family-like school where every child feels valued and supported to succeed. Teachers use expert knowledge and clever teaching techniques to help children remember what they learn and apply it confidently. The school goes above and beyond with enrichment activities like art gallery visits, theatre trips, and specialist support for children who need extra help.
Key Strengths
- Excellent teaching with expert subject knowledge and effective strategies that help pupils remember and apply their learning
- Outstanding support for pupils with SEND, including specialist provision in 'Blossom' and 'Bluebell' rooms that help pupils become increasingly independent
- Sharp focus on teaching reading from Reception with strong parental support
- High expectations and effective help for pupils who fall behind, ensuring all pupils produce high-quality work
- Rich personal, social and health education woven through school life in age-appropriate ways
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Archery, dance-based fitness programmes, visits to art galleries, theatre visits, global group (bee preservation), picture news pioneers (current affairs), reading champions, community visits to local care home, charity fundraising
Briar Hill Infant School is an outstanding school where pupils thrive academically, socially and emotionally. Staff have high ambitions for all pupils and strong relationships form the foundation of this happy, inclusive school.
At a Glance
10.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
65 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.7
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Briar Hill Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Briar Hill Infant School.
- Briar Hill Out Of Hours ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- GO GO Makers LimitedAt the school · Not yet graded
- Briar Hill Out Of Hours Club At St Margaret'sAt the school · Not yet graded
- Little Acorns Wraparound Club250m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Briar Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Warwickshire. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Briar Hill Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Briar Hill Infant School is in Warwickshire; for families living there:
- Warwickshire's school travel policy: Free school transport for students under the age of 16
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
3 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 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 Briar Hill Infant School
Will you get a place at Briar Hill Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Briar Hill Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Briar Hill Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Briar Hill Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Warwickshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Briar Hill Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Warwickshire 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
110%
Over capacity
297 pupils
270 places
27 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leamington Spa
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leamington Spa
Across Warwickshire council
Places available
7,199
Applications
6,281
Got 1st preference
88.1%
Got preferred school
98.1%
All primary applications across Warwickshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
17.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Briar Hill Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 6 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
296
Total Pupils
141
Boys
155
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
18
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,438
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,167
Per pupil
£1700k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
7.3%
Persistent absence
218
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
Briar Hill Infant School
Questions parents ask about Briar Hill Infant School
What is Briar Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Briar Hill Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Briar Hill Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Briar Hill Infant School is oversubscribed, Warwickshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Briar Hill Infant School?
Briar Hill Infant School was full in 2025, at 110% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Briar Hill Infant School?
Classes at Briar Hill Infant School average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Briar Hill Infant School?
Briar Hill Infant School has around 296 pupils on roll. 11% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Briar Hill Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Briar Hill Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 6 places, 6 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Briar Hill Infant School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Briar Hill Infant School in 2024/25. 7.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Briar Hill Infant School?
Apply through Warwickshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Briar Hill Infant 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 Briar Hill Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs at the school: Briar Hill Out Of Hours Club (registered, not yet graded), GO GO Makers Limited (registered, not yet graded) and Briar Hill Out Of Hours Club At St Margaret's (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Briar Hill Infant School's term dates?
Briar Hill Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Warwickshire. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Briar Hill Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 2 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 3 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 Warwickshire is 7 (the median across 286 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Briar Hill Infant School?
Briar Hill Infant School is at Coppice Road, Whitnash, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 2JF.
Sources: Warwickshire term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)