Hilltop Infant School, Wickford
Hilltop Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Wickford, part of Hearts Academy Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2024 did not change this grade. It was 78% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hilltop Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Hilltop Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 57 families put Hilltop Infant School as their first choice and 140 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hilltop Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hilltop Infant School are Hilltop Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 79% maths); The Wickford Church of England School (0.4 miles, Outstanding); Runwell Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 67% maths); and North Crescent Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 77% maths).
Hilltop Junior SchoolThe Wickford Church of England SchoolRunwell Community Primary SchoolNorth Crescent Primary School
The trust
Hilltop Infant School is one of 6 schools run by Hearts Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 72% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
260 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hilltop Infant School (as of April 2026): 97% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (83%).
Who goes there
8.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 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 (82%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 18 pupils (7.6%) received SEN support and 5 (2.1%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wickford Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rubicon Avenue (opposite), 230 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Hilltop Infant 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, Hilltop Infant School issued 7 suspensions, 3.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hilltop Infant School are Beauchamps High School (0.2 miles) and Harris Academy Wickford (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 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 November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hilltop Infant School excels at creating a warm, nurturing environment where children flourish academically and personally. Reading is a particular strength, with expert phonics teaching and well-matched books ensuring pupils develop accuracy and fluency. The school offers an impressive range of enrichment activities and takes genuine pride in building responsible, caring young people through meaningful community involvement.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and pupil attitudes with consistent expectations applied throughout the school
- High-quality, well-sequenced curriculum across all subjects with pupils achieving well
- Strong focus on reading with well-trained staff delivering phonics precisely
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND enabling them to access the same curriculum
- Exemplary personal development with meaningful opportunities for responsibility and community contribution
Areas for Improvement
- Early years experiences occasionally lack consistency and purpose - some tasks and activities do not fully reflect the ambition of the intended curriculum
- Early language development in early years needs to be more consistently strong across all activities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place and a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Dance, fitness, baking, yoga, gardening, gymnastics, sports, theatre visits, places of worship visits, dinosaur workshops, choir performances, grandparents' reading workshops
Hilltop Infant School is a welcoming and nurturing learning community where pupils thrive and behave exceptionally well. The school has developed a rich and ambitious curriculum with strong outcomes in reading, mathematics and design technology.
At a Glance
8.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
260 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hilltop Infant School
Before and after school care
Hilltop Infant School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Essex
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hilltop Infant School.
- Kip McGrath Wickford910m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hilltop Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hilltop Infant School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 Hilltop Infant School
Will you get a place at Hilltop Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hilltop Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hilltop Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hilltop Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hilltop Infant School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
78%
Available places
176 pupils
225 places
49 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wickford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wickford
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
9.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
237
Total Pupils
126
Boys
111
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
26.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,729
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,208
Per pupil
£1032k
Total funding
£21k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
7.0%
Persistent absence
115
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
Hilltop Infant School
Questions parents ask about Hilltop Infant School
What is Hilltop Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Hilltop Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Hilltop Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Hilltop Infant School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hilltop Infant School?
Hilltop Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 225 places.
How big are the classes at Hilltop Infant School?
Classes at Hilltop Infant School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Hilltop Infant School?
Hilltop Infant School has around 237 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hilltop Infant School?
5% of sessions were missed at Hilltop Infant School in 2024/25. 7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hilltop Infant School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Hilltop 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 Hilltop Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Hilltop Infant School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hilltop Infant School: Kip McGrath Wickford (910m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Hilltop Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 5 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hilltop Infant School?
Hilltop Infant School is at Hill Avenue, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8LT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)