Newtown Soberton Infant School

Newtown Soberton Infant School is a caring and high-performing infant school where pupils are known well and behave exceptionally well. The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects, and children get a particularly strong start in the early years. Reading and phonics are taught to a very high standard, pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively, and attendance is high. Enrichment, personal development and safeguarding are all strong, and staff feel well supported by leaders and governors. The main area for improvement is handwriting. Pupils are not consistently taught how to form and join letters accurately, so their handwriting is not routinely fluent. This is the only significant concern identified in the report; otherwise, the school’s provision and outcomes are strong across the judged areas.

Strengths

• Pupils behave very well and follow the school rules consistently.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced and engaging for all ages.
• Early years provision gives children a fantastic start and strong foundations.
• Reading and phonics are taught to a very high standard.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively.
• Attendance is high because the school removes barriers to regular attendance.
• Personal development is strong through democracy, eco activities, clubs and visits.
• Staff feel well supported with workload and well-being.
• Governors challenge and support leaders effectively.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting is not taught consistently well, so pupils do not routinely form and join letters accurately or fluently.

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 Newtown Soberton Infant School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Newtown Soberton 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 Newtown Soberton Infant School had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.6% 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, 12.3% of pupils at Newtown Soberton Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 Newtown Soberton Infant School received £7,986 and spent £7,649 for each of its 73 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £31,000 (£429 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 Fareham · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Newtown Soberton Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newtown Soberton Infant School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Newtown Soberton Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Newtown Soberton Infant School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Newtown Soberton Infant School have?

Newtown Soberton Infant School has 73 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newtown Soberton Infant School cover?

Newtown Soberton Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Newtown Soberton Infant School?

Newtown Soberton Infant School is at Church Road, Newtown, Fareham, Hampshire, PO17 6LJ.