Castle Hill Infant School

Castle Hill Infant School is a smaller-than-average infant school with a below-average proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and average levels of SEND. The school is performing well overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school has an open, positive culture of safeguarding. Inclusion is a notable strength: leaders place it at the heart of the school and ensure pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, receive timely, well-matched support. Early identification of communication needs and effective use of additional funding help pupils thrive from their starting points. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. They become fluent, enthusiastic readers, and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are supported effectively. Attendance is above national averages, persistent absence is low, and behaviour is calm, respectful and orderly. The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious, with essential knowledge sequenced coherently, though teaching is not always consistent across the curriculum and pupils’ written work in some subjects is not as high quality as it could be. Early years provision is nurturing and strong on language and early reading, but staff do not always extend children’s learning during play. Leadership and governance are effective. Leaders know the school well, governors provide appropriate support and challenge, and staff feel valued. Personal development and wellbeing are promoted effectively through the school’s values, a structured PSHE curriculum, enrichment activities and clubs. The main areas for further development are ensuring all staff apply agreed teaching approaches consistently, particularly to raise the quality of work in pupils’ books across all subjects, and strengthening early years interactions to build on children’s knowledge and vocabulary.

Strengths

• Inclusion is at the heart of the school, with aspirational expectations for all pupils.
• Pupils with SEND receive prompt, tailored support that helps them access learning successfully.
• Early identification of communication needs in the early years strengthens children’s wellbeing and readiness to learn.
• Leaders use additional funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively, informed by educational research.
• Pupils develop into fluent, enthusiastic readers and are well prepared for the next stage of education.
• Attendance is above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and persistent absence is low.
• Behaviour is calm, respectful and orderly, with rare low-level disruption and swift action on bullying.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious, with essential knowledge sequenced coherently.
• Early years provision is nurturing, with a sharp focus on language, early reading and mathematics.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with committed governors and a positive staff culture.
• Personal development and wellbeing are promoted well through values, PSHE, enrichment and clubs.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching is not consistently applied across the curriculum, and leaders are still raising expectations.
• Pupils’ written work in some areas of the curriculum is not as high quality as it could be.
• Early years staff do not always support children to maintain focus and extend their learning during play.
• Leaders should ensure all staff apply agreed teaching approaches consistently and maintain high expectations for work in pupils’ books across all subjects.
• Leaders should further support early years staff to strengthen interactions that build on children’s knowledge and extend vocabulary.

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 Castle Hill Infant School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.0% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Castle Hill 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 Castle Hill Infant School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 14.4% of pupils at Castle Hill Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% 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 Castle Hill Infant School received £6,963 and spent £7,011 for each of its 174 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £29,000 (£167 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 Basingstoke · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Castle Hill Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castle Hill Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Castle Hill Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castle Hill Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Castle Hill Infant School have?

Castle Hill Infant School has 174 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castle Hill Infant School cover?

Castle Hill Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Castle Hill Infant School?

Castle Hill Infant School is at Greenbank, Winklebury Way, Castle Hill Infant School, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG23 8BN.