Carrington Infant School

Carrington Infant School is performing well overall. It was judged Good in quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and under the current framework it did not receive an overall effectiveness grade. The school has recently federated with Carrington Junior School and has a specialist resource provision for pupils with autism. Pupils thrive in a highly inclusive school where they feel safe, equal and included. Staff have high expectations, and disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, learn consistently well, particularly in the specialist provision. Reading is a notable strength: phonics is robust, pupils receive timely catch-up, and they develop a love of books. Early years provision is strong, personal development is well supported, attendance is improving, and parents and staff are positive about the school. The main areas for improvement concern consistency. Some staff training has not yet had the intended impact in some subjects, curriculum implementation is not equally effective everywhere, and some activity choices are not well matched to pupils' needs. Staff do not always check pupils' understanding or address errors and misconceptions before introducing new learning, which means some pupils do not build their learning as securely as they could.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive culture where pupils feel equal, safe and included
• Pupils behave calmly and politely and show honesty and respect
• Staff have high expectations for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Specialist resource provision supports pupils with autism expertly
• Strong phonics and early reading provision with timely catch-up
• Children in early years learn well and are ready for Year 1
• Strong personal, social and health education develops confidence and resilience
• Pupils attend regularly and attendance has improved over time
• Parents appreciate staff commitment and staff feel well supported
• Governors support and challenge the school appropriately

Areas for Improvement

• Some staff training has not yet had the intended impact in some subjects
• Curriculum implementation is not consistently effective across all subjects
• Some activity choices are not well matched to what pupils need
• Staff do not always check pupils' understanding consistently
• Pupils' errors and misconceptions are not always identified and addressed before new learning

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Carrington Infant School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.8% of pupils at Carrington Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Carrington Infant School had 15.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 18.5% of pupils at Carrington Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 7 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Carrington Infant School received £9,081 and spent £9,407 for each of its 162 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £56,000 (£344 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in High Wycombe · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Carrington Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Carrington Infant School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Carrington Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Carrington Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Carrington Infant School have?

Carrington Infant School has 162 pupils on roll.

What age range does Carrington Infant School cover?

Carrington Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Carrington Infant School?

Carrington Infant School is at 2 Chapel Road, Flackwell Heath, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9AA.