Wootey Infant School

Wootey Infant School is a nurturing, ambitious community infant school where pupils feel safe and most achieve well. Inspectors judged the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision all to be good. The school has strong phonics and early reading provision, a broad and engaging curriculum, effective pastoral support, and staff who know pupils well. Safeguarding is effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and leaders are managing the demands of mixed-age classes in key stage 1. The main area for improvement is that in some curriculum subjects, activities are not adapted well enough for pupils with barriers to learning, including pupils with SEND. As a result, support is not as effective as it could be, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are not catching up quickly enough. Leaders must ensure teachers provide tasks and support so that all pupils make expected progress. The report also notes that the impact of the new mixed-age classes on sequencing, particularly in mathematics, is due to be reviewed. Governors have high expectations and are committed to inclusion, and staff feel well supported.

Strengths

• Nurturing environment with high ambition for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Strong phonics and early reading provision with regular checks and targeted interventions
• Broad, balanced and engaging curriculum with clear knowledge and skills sequenced from Reception
• Teachers have strong subject knowledge and use skilful questioning to check and embed learning
• Pupils' personal development is central, with strong pastoral support for pupils and families
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Pupils feel safe and know adults will help to clear their worries
• Leaders consider staff workload and well-being, including the demands of mixed-age classes
• Governors have high expectations and are committed to the school being fully inclusive

Areas for Improvement

• In some curriculum subjects, activities are not adapted well enough to support pupils with barriers to learning and pupils with SEND
• Support is not as effective as it could be, and pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are not catching up quickly enough

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 Wootey Infant School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.8% 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, 2.5% of pupils at Wootey 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 Wootey Infant School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.7% 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, 24.5% of pupils at Wootey Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.9% 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 Wootey Infant School received £10,868 and spent £9,844 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £140,000 (£1,369 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 Alton · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Wootey Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Wootey Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Wootey Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Wootey Infant School have?

Wootey Infant School has 102 pupils on roll.

What age range does Wootey Infant School cover?

Wootey Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Wootey Infant School?

Wootey Infant School is at Wooteys Way, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2JA.