Primary Schools in Walton-on-Thames/Hersham/Weybridge - Walton Oak, Grovelands, Bell Farm, Hurst Park Academy, Burhill

[LazyMumOfTwo]

Hi all,

DS is due to start reception in 2026 and I’ve shortlisted these primary schools:-

• Walton Oak Primary School
• Grovelands Primary School
• Bell Farm Primary School
• Hurst Park Academy
• Burhill Primary School

I’m feeling stressed from looking at all the OFSTED reports and from comparing academic results. I thought it would be best to hear opinions from real parents/grandparents.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any recent threads relating to these schools.

DS has a speech delay but has made lots of progress in the past month. That said, he goes to a gymnastics class and from observation, it does not look like he is very keen on following instructions from teachers. He would often stray from the group and do his own thing - I am really worried about teachers at primary school just labelling him as a naughty child and neglect teaching him because he is difficult.. (maybe I’m overthinking..)

Does anyone here know of children who go/went to these schools in recent years and if so, are/were they happy?

All comments are appreciated. Thank you in advance! :)

I’ve also added a poll for the fun of it. 😄

You’d be better off visiting the schools you’re interested in, explaining your child’s needs, getting a feel for the schools and deciding on that basis, which you want to apply for.

Do you meet the admission criteria for the schools you’ve listed?

Hello!

Yes indeed! I’ve booked myself in for a couple of tours and intend to visit all the schools before submitting the application.

However, I guess there is a chance that what the schools show and tell us might not be the full picture?

As for admission criteria, I’ve looked into this and it just appears that it will mainly be a case of how far we live from the school if DS is not in any of the priority categories (which he is not). Burhill is the furthest away from us when looking at distance in a straight line.

I will probably list four schools in the application but am unsure in what order when it comes to preference.

Check local Facebook groups.

Hey - I'm in a similar situation/location although I've still got a couple of years (intake '28 - I'm a prepper). I'd also be interested to hear from parents in the area about the various schools - what do people think?

Also, @LazyMumOfTwo, why did you rule out Ashley school? A couple of websites rate it quite well, but I see it was needs improvement 4 years ago... Based on your other choices I'd have thought that's also in your radius.

Hiya!

I did not include Ashley as we are not a religious family. Someone suggested I join a local Facebook group and I did;

@Papaball sorry my post got cut off in the middle for some reason.
The FB group is great as other mums ask the same questions and you get a ton of responses.

I live in this area and it’s generally not a choice it’s about where you live - you can see the greater distance and admissions numbers if you google. That will give you a very good idea of what schools you’re likely to get/or what school you’re highly likely to get! You may lucky and live in the middle!