Shinfield Infant and Nursery School, Reading
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Reading, part of The Circle Trust. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wokingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School in detail
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School in its own words
In its own words: "We’re proud of Shinfield Infant and Nursery School and would love to show you around. In the meantime, please use the menu to the left to take a virtual tour of our school, download a prospectus and much more."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
For September 2026 entry, 73 families put Shinfield Infant and Nursery School as their first choice and 209 named it as one of their preferences, for 90 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Shinfield Infant and Nursery School are Shinfield St Mary's CofE Junior School (0.1 miles); Alder Grove Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles, Good); Geoffrey Field Junior School (1.4 miles, Good, 70% reading, 80% maths); and Geoffrey Field Infant School (1.4 miles, Outstanding).
Shinfield St Mary's CofE Junior SchoolAlder Grove Church of England Primary SchoolGeoffrey Field Junior SchoolGeoffrey Field Infant School
The trust
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School is one of 11 schools run by The Circle Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Shinfield Infant and Nursery School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 63% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (63%).
Who goes there
7.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 27.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (57%), Asian (17%) and Mixed (13%).
In 2026, 24 pupils (7.9%) received SEN support and 12 (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 autism.
Staffing
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School had 17 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 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 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Shinfield View (opposite), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Shinfield Infant and Nursery School issued 5 suspensions, 1.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Shinfield Infant and Nursery School are Oakbank School (0.8 miles) and Hartland High School (1.6 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2020. Before that, as Shinfield Infant and Nursery School (URN 109886), it was rated Good in February 2015.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Shinfield provides a warm, caring environment where children feel safe and thrive. The school delivers engaging, ambitious learning with particular strengths in reading and phonics, and excellent support for all learners including those with additional needs. Parents consistently praise the genuine care from staff and the way the school helps each child feel special.
Key Strengths
- Rich and ambitious curriculum with carefully sequenced knowledge that builds on earlier learning
- Effective phonics teaching and strong focus on reading that fosters love of literacy
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND, enabling them to access the full curriculum successfully
- Consistent, high-quality teaching with teachers accurately checking pupils' knowledge and addressing gaps
- Strong behaviour and respect throughout the school with pupils engaged in meaningful leadership roles
Areas for Improvement
- Many pupils do not have well-formed and joined handwriting skills - the school is implementing new strategies but impact is not yet fully evident
- Need to ensure new handwriting approaches help pupils develop fluent and accurate writing consistently
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School clubs, village events, planetarium visits, animal interactions, eco-leads roles, class monitors, school councillors, forest area development, care home visits, Remembrance Day events, older pupils reading to younger ones
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School has successfully maintained its good standards. The school is a friendly, caring place where children feel safe, flourish and are keen to learn.
At a Glance
7.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
56 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
29.2
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Shinfield Infant and Nursery School.
- GetActive@ShinfieldInfantNursery SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Get Active @shinfield St Mary's220m away · Not yet graded
- Funtastic@Alder Grove560m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School is an academy, 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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Shinfield Infant and Nursery 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
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
Will you get a place at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Shinfield Infant and Nursery School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Shinfield Infant and Nursery School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Shinfield Infant and Nursery School.
- Wokingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Shinfield Infant and Nursery School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Shinfield Infant and Nursery 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
99%
Near capacity
268 pupils
270 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
11.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
303
Total Pupils
157
Boys
146
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,677
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,116
Per pupil
£1496k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
14.6%
Persistent absence
185
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
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
Questions parents ask about Shinfield Infant and Nursery School
What is Shinfield Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in April 2020. Before that, as Shinfield Infant and Nursery School (URN 109886), it was rated Good in February 2015.
What is the catchment area for Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Shinfield Infant and Nursery 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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Classes at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School has around 303 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School in 2024/25. 14.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Apply through Wokingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Shinfield Infant and Nursery 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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: GetActive@ShinfieldInfantNursery School (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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Shinfield Infant and Nursery School?
Shinfield Infant and Nursery School is at School Green, Shinfield, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 9EH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)