The schools admission process has increasingly become a significant factor for many people when moving home. A trend we often see in Surrey is young families moving out of London before the children begin their schooling. With great commuter links back into London, proximity to major road arteries such as the M25, M3, A3, M23 and A23, as well as Heathrow and Gatwick airports, it is easy to see why Surrey ‘ticks the box’ for so many families. And whether your budget stretches to private education or not, the county is blessed with some excellent schools.
With the 2018 admissions process coming to a conclusion, we look at some of the local schools in and around Ashtead, Leatherhead and Epsom, reflect on the outcomes in 2017 and examine the housing stock available within the vicinity of each school. At the time of writing, the 2018 admissions data had not been published.
In this article, we have tried to focus not only on the school, but also on the housing options within the vicinity. We have included local schools in the state (including faith) and private sectors.
We have noted the most recent Ofsted or Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) report details as at April 2018. In the case of the ISI, the reports only establish whether a school has ‘met’ or ‘not met’ the regulatory standards required.
Ashtead is very fortunate to have a number of Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’ schools, which have not always been oversubscribed. If you are thinking about where you want your children to go to school, there is a lot to recommend Ashtead and the surrounding areas.
If you would like to have a confidential conversation with one of our team about the housing options near your chosen school, please do get in touch.
Local schools:
(Click on the link to jump to the school)
St Giles Infant School
The Greville Primary School
City of London Freemans School
Downsend School
West Ashtead Primary School
Barnett Wood Infant School
St Peter's Catholic Primary School
St Andrews Catholic School
St John's School
Rosebery School (Girls)
Therfield School
Epsom College
St Giles Infant School (http://www.stgiles.surrey.sch.uk/)
Ofsted: Outstanding
Ages: 4-7 (Reception to Y2)
In their own words: “St Giles' is a small Church of England infant school which has been at the heart of Ashtead and its surrounding area since 1852. As a small school, we are uniquely placed to be able to meet the needs of every one of our children.”
St Giles has its own unique admissions process, with ‘nearest’ to the school criteria applied only as a last resort. In 2017, it was not oversubscribed. It is a church school, with close links to the local Anglican parish of St Giles and St George. From September 2019, the Published Admission Number is 30 pupils.
Local area:
Located within walking distance of the main upper high street, on the South Side of Ashtead and surrounded by charming character cottages and larger luxurious homes. Prices in the immediate surrounding area can start in the late £400k’s for a 2/3 bedroom house with larger properties currently available in excess of £2 Million. We've recently sold an imposing detached character house on a large plot with a stone's throw of the school that was on the market for £1,275,000. At a slightly more affordable level, a 4 bedroom detached home near the station was on the market for £775,000 and has now sold (STC). (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
The Greville Primary School (http://www.greville.surrey.sch.uk/)
Ofsted: Good
Ages: 4-11 (Reception to Y6)
In their own words: “The Greville Primary School opened in 1958 and was extended in 1996, 2004, 2005 and again in 2015-16. It currently caters for over 630 children between the ages of 4 and 11. The school has extensive grounds including a Woodland Walk.”. In 2017 the school was oversubscribed and the furthest distance at which a pupil was offered admission under the general criteria was 0.649km
Local area:
Centrally located and easily accessible. Immediately surrounded by more affordable homes that represent great value with good accommodation and large gardens as well as houses within Lower Ashtead. Conveniently located for both upper and lower high streets and the Station is within good proximity. A mixture of prices from circa £450K to around £750k for a big extended, beautifully presented 1930’s semi. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
City of London Freemans School (http://www.freemens.org/)
Independent Schools Inspectorate: The school meets the requirements.
Ages: 7-18
Freemans (as it is mostly referred to locally) is a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 7 to 18. Set up in 1854, it moved to Ashtead in 1926 and remains under the ownership of the City of London. The range of facilities and opportunities for the children is exactly what you would expect from a school of this calibre.
Local area:
The school sits on the South side of Ashtead and is immediately surrounded by more substantial family homes but also easily accessible from central Ashtead. Many of the houses built close to the school were built under licence after the war when there was a shortage of building materials originating with smaller houses on larger plots that have either been rebuilt or extended over the years. A beautifully appointed and imposing Edwardian family home situated in the heart of the popular Ashtead Lanes, on the market for £1,795,000, has recently sold (STC). (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
Downsend School (https://www.downsend.co.uk/)
Independent Schools Inspectorate: The school meets the requirements.
Ages: 2-13 (Nursery - Y8)
4 schools in one, Downsend combines 3 different pre-prep school locations alongside the main prep school, located just inside the M25 between Ashtead and Leatherhead. In their own words, “Education at Downsend goes beyond examination success and the academic environment. When you give us your child to look after and nurture our aim is to inspire young minds, to instil a love of learning, to offer as many opportunities as possible to make sure natural talents are discovered and championed.”
Local area:
Downsend is located on the borders of Ashtead and Leatherhead and is close to the favoured Ashtead Lanes area that comprises a range of family homes on individual plots. Access to the M25 from this area is very easy. The school is easily accessible from most of Ashtead, being on the main road into the village. A beautifully presented 3 bedroom detached bungalow well situated for Downsend School, on the market for £675,000, sold in April 2018. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
West Ashtead Primary School (https://www.west-ashtead.surrey.sch.uk/)
Ofsted: Good
Ages: 4-11 (Reception – Y6)
West Ashtead Primary School is an all through primary school with 340 pupils. It has been serving the Ashtead Community for over 50 years. It has substantial grounds which include a large playing field with two football pitches, a multi-use games area lined with netball and tennis courts, and three large playgrounds. In 2017 the school was oversubscribed and the furthest distance at which a pupil was offered admission under the general criteria was 1.457km
West Ashtead Primary School is also situated on the Ashtead / Leatherhead borders and ideally located for people living within the Ashtead Lanes, a popular location with a mixture of modern and period character homes. The area is centrally located within easy reach of the village, Ashtead station and the motorway network. A 4 bedroom detached house in a private cul-de-sac in the ever popular Lanes area of Ashtead, on the market for £795,000, has just had a sale agreed in May 2018 (STC) (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
Barnett Wood Infant School (http://www.barnett-wood.surrey.sch.uk/)
Oftsed: Outstanding
Ages: 4-7 (Reception – Y2)
Barnett Wood Infant School is situated in the village of Ashtead. The building is Victorian having benefited from significant modernisation. The school admits children between the ages of 4 and 7, predominantly from Ashtead. There are six classes with around 150 pupils in total. The school benefits from spacious hard and grassed play areas and has a purpose built outdoor swimming pool. In 2017 the school was oversubscribed and the furthest distance at which a pupil was offered admission under the general criteria was 2.523km.
Local area:
The school is located on Barnet Wood Lane, on the fringes of the Ashtead Lanes and Lower Ashtead. Lower Ashtead is mostly 1930’s family built homes and is ideally located for the shops on Craddocks parade and Ashtead station. Three bed semi detached houses typically start around the late £500k’s. A spacious 4 bedroom detached home in Burnside has recently gone under offer. It was on the market at £715,000. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
St Peter’s Catholic Primary School (http://www.stpeters-leatherhead.co.uk/)
Ofsted: Outstanding
Ages: 4-11 (Reception – Y6)
Despite the Leatherhead address, the school is located in very cose proximity to Lower Ashtead, inside the M25. In their own words, “St Peter’s is an 'Outstanding' Catholic school where academic excellence is valued within a highly inclusive ethos. We offer a broad education which fosters our pupils' spiritual, personal and social development, preparing them for life in 21st century Britain.” The school was not oversubscribed in 2017.
Local area:
St Peter's is ideally located for people living within the Ashtead Lanes, a popular location with a mixture of modern and period character homes. Ashtead Lanes is within easy reach of the village, Ashtead station and the motorway network with a range of different houses and price-points available. An impressive and well-presented mews style 4 bedroom home has recently sold. It was on the market at £639,950. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
St Andrews Catholic School (https://www.st-andrews.surrey.sch.uk/)
Ofsted: Outstanding
Ages: 11-18 (Y7-Y13)
St Andrews is a voluntary aided school in the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton. The school is a Roman Catholic Comprehensive School for students aged 11-18. It is a vibrant and dynamic school with high expectations and great ambitions for every one of its students. The school was oversubscribed in 2017. There are named feeder schools which have some priority in the admissions process. St Peter’s Catholic Primary School is one of the named feeder schools.
Local area:
St Andrew’s is situated on the Ashtead / Leatherhead borders and ideally located for people living within the Ashtead Lanes, a popular location with a mixture of modern and period character homes. The Ashtead Lanes is within easy reach of the village, Ashtead station and the motorway network. Cottages in Ashtead typically start in the region of £500K. A 3 bedroom semi-detached house in a popular local residential road, on the market at £525,000, is under offer (STC). (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
St John’s (https://www.stjohnsleatherhead.co.uk/)
ISI: The school meets the requirements
Ages: 11-18 (Y7-Y13)
St Johns School is an independent fee-paying school located on the outskirts of Leatherhead, just the other side of the M25 from Ashtead. St John’s offers a wide range of opportunity. Every pupil is encouraged to choose their own pathway, informed by his or her interests and ambitions. They are encouraged to perform to the best of their ability, academically as well as outside the classroom. An emphasis is placed on participation: from sport to community service, from music to the Combined Cadet Force.
Local area:
Although located in Leatherhead, the school is easily accessible from Ashtead and surrounding areas and operates its own bus routes from further afield, opening up a whole range of property options in Ashtead and surrounding villages and towns. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
Rosebery School (girls) (http://www.roseberyschool.co.uk/)
Oftsed: Outstanding
Ages: 11-18 (Y7-Y13)
Rosebery School is a highly successful girls’ comprehensive school for students from 11-18 years old. Our students are a pleasure to work with; intellectually curious, empathetic and fun, they continually challenge themselves to achieve demanding objectives which leads to great personal success. Rosebery School participates in the Local Authority Co-ordinated Scheme and has a Published Admissions number of 240 in 2018-9. The school was oversubscribed in 2017 and the furthest distance at which a pupil was offered admission under the general criteria was 3.474km.
Local area:
Located between Ashtead and Epsom, but with a fairly significant distance criteria in 2017, parenst wishing their children to attend this school have quite a wide range of properties and locations to choose from, ranging from the leafier outskirts of Ashtead and Epsom to urban properties in walking distance Ashtead village centre and Epsom Town Centre. A beautifully appointed and contemporary 4 bedroom house built in 2016 and on the market for £725,000 was sold in April 2018. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
Therfield School (http://www.therfield.surrey.sch.uk/)
Oftsed: Good
Ages: 11-18 (Y7 – Y13)
The school highlights its excellent academic results at GCSE and A Level over recent years which has included GCSE results that continue to exceed national expectations as well as AS and A2 results that are in the top 25% of the whole country. Therfield School operates as part of Surrey County Council’s coordinated scheme for secondary admission with a published set of criteria for deciding places. Ultimately, distance from the school plays its part in admissions but in 2017, the school was not oversubscribed and this was not called upon.
Local area:
Therfield School is another school with a Leatherhead address, but situated within less than 1km of many of the prime residential areas of Ashtead. With the school not being oversubscribed in 2017, parents wishing their children to attend this school have more scope to select from the wide range of properties across Ashtead village. A spacioius detached family in a sought after location on the South side of Leatherhead on the market for £899,950 was sold in May 2018. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead.)
Epsom College (http://www.epsomcollege.org.uk/)
ISI: The school meets the requirements
Ages: 11-18 (Y7-Y11)
Epsom College is an independent private school offering education to secondary and sixth form pupils. It describes itself as “One of the country’s leading independent co-educational day and boarding schools for 11-18 year olds.” Alongside its academic facilities, the 85-acre campus provides space for exceptional sporting facilities including chalk-drained traditional grass pitches, two AstroTurfs for hockey and tennis (one floodlit), a 25-metre indoor swimming pool, indoor shooting range, nine netball courts, and a Sports Centre complete with fencing hall, squash courts and fitness suite.
Local area:
Epsom College is situated in the middle of the area surrounded by Michael Everett & Co offices in Ashtead, Banstead, Epsom & Walton-on-the-Hill. There is an enormous range of properties and locations within the area that would give easy access to the school depending on your other requirements as a family. (View all houses currently available in Ashtead, Epsom or Langley Vale)
(All information correct at May 2018)