Crofton Hammond Infant School

Crofton Hammond Infant School is performing well overall. Inspectors found safeguarding standards are met, and pupils thrive in a warm, inclusive environment. Attendance is consistently higher than the national average, behaviour is excellent, and the school's support for service families, young carers, and pupils with SEND is a notable strength. Personal development is impressive, with pupils knowledgeable about fundamental British values and difference. The school serves a community where about a quarter of pupils are from service families, and a high proportion have education, health and care plans. However, some aspects are not yet consistently strong. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance are judged at expected standard. There are occasional gaps in writing and mathematics, and teachers sometimes set writing tasks that are too complex for early writers or miss misconceptions in mathematics. Leaders have already identified the need to revisit the English and mathematics curriculums to ensure foundational skills are consistently highly effective. Leadership capacity also needs further development, as much still falls to senior leaders, and adult-led play interactions in early years do not always extend children's thinking. Overall, leaders are highly inclusive, reflective, and committed to improvement. They know their community well and use pupil premium funding wisely. The next steps focus on embedding high-quality teaching across the school and building leadership capacity so that standards are consistently strong in all areas.

Strengths

• Attendance overall and for key groups is consistently higher than the national average.
• Pupils behave very well at work and play, showing curiosity, respect and resilience.
• Highly effective social and emotional support for pupils from service families and young carers.
• Tailored and skilful provision for the growing number of pupils with SEND.
• Personal development programme is carefully designed and builds pupils' understanding of healthy relationships, ethics and British values.
• Pupils are extremely knowledgeable about fundamental British values and difference and diversity.
• A broad, carefully constructed curriculum with clear progression in knowledge and skills.
• Early years curriculum goes beyond statutory requirements and prepares most children well for Year 1.
• Leaders are highly inclusive, know their community well, and use pupil premium funding wisely.
• Governors provide an appropriate balance of challenge and support and fulfil statutory duties.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.

Areas for Improvement

• High-quality teaching is not yet embedded throughout the school, so pupils do not consistently achieve well across the curriculum.
• Leadership capacity at all levels needs further development; too much responsibility still falls to senior leaders.
• Occasional gaps remain in pupils' learning in writing and mathematics.
• Teachers occasionally set writing tasks that are too complex for pupils at an early stage of writing.
• Teachers occasionally do not pick up pupils' misconceptions in mathematics.
• Adult-led play interactions in early years do not always extend children's thinking.
• English and mathematics curriculums need revisiting to ensure foundational skills are consistently highly effective.

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 Crofton Hammond Infant School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.8% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Crofton Hammond 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 Crofton Hammond Infant School had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.0% 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, 7.1% of pupils at Crofton Hammond Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% 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 Crofton Hammond Infant School received £7,568 and spent £7,365 for each of its 168 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £116,000 (£693 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 Crofton Hammond Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Crofton Hammond Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Crofton Hammond Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Crofton Hammond Infant School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Crofton Hammond Infant School have?

Crofton Hammond Infant School has 168 pupils on roll.

What age range does Crofton Hammond Infant School cover?

Crofton Hammond Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Crofton Hammond Infant School?

Crofton Hammond Infant School is at Mancroft Avenue, Stubbington, Fareham, Hampshire, PO14 2DE.