Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery, Crawley
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Crawley. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade. It was 90% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2023)
- 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 West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery in detail
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery was opened in 1992 as Maidenbower First School; we are now a three form Infant school for 4 - 7 year olds with a private nursery that has 32 places per session for children from the age of three."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, karate, dance, drama, choir and coding.
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026 and an admissions event on Thursday 7 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in West Sussex
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 86 families put Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery as their first choice and 214 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery are Maidenbower Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 76% maths); Brook Infant School and Nursery (0.4 miles, Good); St Andrew's CofE Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 52% maths); and Pound Hill Junior School, Crawley (0.8 miles, Good, 89% reading, 88% maths).
Maidenbower Junior SchoolBrook Infant School and NurserySt Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolPound Hill Junior School, Crawley
What parents say
81 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 98% say their child is happy there and 71% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (71%).
Who goes there
8.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 29.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (53%), Mixed (15%) and Asian (13%).
In 2026, 34 pupils (13.7%) received SEN support and 20 (8%) 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.
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Three Bridges Rail Station, about 1150 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Maidenbower Place (adjacent), 210 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery issued 1 suspension, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery are Oriel High School (0.3 miles) and Hazelwick School (1.3 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); 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a warm, caring community where every child is known and valued. Pupils develop excellent manners and respect for others, while enjoying purposeful learning lessons with a real buzz of engagement. The school offers a rich variety of clubs, visits and enrichment activities that inspire children's interests and foster a genuine love of learning.
Key Strengths
- Exceptionally nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and supported by caring staff
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes, with pupils getting on extremely well together
- Strong focus on reading with a systematic phonics programme that develops confident readers
- Excellent early years provision with pupils achieving outstandingly well
- Outstanding personal development through assemblies, clubs, activities and visits
Areas for Improvement
- Some checks on pupils' understanding do not accurately identify gaps in knowledge, meaning some pupils move on before they are ready and don't learn as well as they could
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong safeguarding procedures and a culture that prioritises pupils' safety and wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, visiting authors, music and performance activities, playground angels roles, cultural development activities
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery provides an exceptionally nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and are well cared for by staff. The school has improved significantly since its last inspection, with outstanding behaviour, personal development, early years provision, and leadership.
At a Glance
8.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
81 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
22.7
Avg class size
22.7
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
School Newsletter Friday 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
School Newsletter Friday 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
School Newsletter Friday 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
School Newsletter Friday 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
School Newsletter Friday 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
From Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery.
- Camp Glide at Maidenbower SchoolsAt the school · Not yet graded
- Ward Holiday Club MaidenbowerAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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 Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Sussex 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
90%
Near capacity
244 pupils
270 places
26 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Crawley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Crawley
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,608
Applications
8,127
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
21.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
249
Total Pupils
134
Boys
115
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,805
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,633
Per pupil
£1516k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
12.6%
Persistent absence
175
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
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery
What is Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2023, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 270 places.
How big are the classes at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Classes at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery average 22.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery has around 249 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery have specialist SEN provision?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery in 2024/25. 12.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery 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 Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: Camp Glide at Maidenbower Schools (registered, not yet graded) and Ward Holiday Club Maidenbower (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery's term dates?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. 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 Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery?
Maidenbower Infant School and Nursery is at Harvest Road, Maidenbower, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 7RA.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)