Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School, Guildford
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Guildford. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. It was 58% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (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 Surrey (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School in detail
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, basketball and drama.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School as their first choice and 91 named it as one of their preferences, for 23 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 Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School are Merrow Junior School (0.2 miles, Good, 74% reading, 75% maths); St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 92% reading, 84% maths); Boxgrove Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 83% reading, 71% maths); and Burpham Primary School (1.2 miles, 98% reading, 90% maths).
Merrow Junior SchoolSt Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolBoxgrove Primary SchoolBurpham Primary School
Who goes there
31.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (53%), Black (9%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 9 pupils (10%) received SEN support and 4 (4.4%) 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.
Staffing
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Clandon Rail Station, about 1.5 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kingfisher Drive Shops (opposite), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School are St Peter's Catholic School (0.4 miles) and George Abbot School (0.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 November 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
21.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.0
Avg class size
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Newsletter 2: 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 1: 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Newsletter 1: 6th September
Newsletter 1: 5th September
From Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School.
- MuddyBoots Camps GuildfordAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Surrey. 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 19 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 28 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Tuesday 21 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Wednesday 19 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is in Surrey; for families living there:
- Surrey's school travel policy: Travel Assistance Policy for under 16s
- How to apply: Apply online for under 16 travel help
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
4 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 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 Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Will you get a place at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School.
- Surrey publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Surrey 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
58%
Available places
105 pupils
180 places
75 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Guildford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Guildford
Across Surrey council
Places available
13,004
Applications
11,426
Got 1st preference
89.8%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Surrey council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
9
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
14.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
90
Total Pupils
46
Boys
44
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
11.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,527
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,350
Per pupil
£771k
Total funding
£17k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
11.2%
Persistent absence
89
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
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
Questions parents ask about Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School
What is Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2011 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is oversubscribed, Surrey allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 58% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Classes at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School has around 90 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School in 2024/25. 11.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Apply through Surrey's coordinated admissions process, naming Merrow CofE Controlled 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 Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: MuddyBoots Camps Guildford (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School's term dates?
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by Surrey. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 19 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 28 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Tuesday 21 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Wednesday 19 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 4 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 Surrey is 13 (the median across 521 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School?
Merrow CofE Controlled Infant School is at Kingfisher Drive, Merrow, Guildford, Surrey, GU4 7EA.
Sources: Surrey term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)