South Farnborough Infant School

South Farnborough Infant School is a caring, kind and ambitious community where pupils feel happy, safe and valued. Inspectors found the school performing well across its key areas, with positive behaviour, respectful relationships and a broad personal development offer. Reading is a particular strength: phonics is prioritised from Reception, pupils who fall behind are supported quickly, and children become confident, fluent readers. The early years provision is also effective, with strong routines, caring relationships and good support for language and communication. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported effectively, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. The school has high expectations for all pupils and has recently reviewed and refined its curriculum to reflect its ‘living and learning in harmony’ principles. However, some of these changes are very new and have not yet been fully evaluated. Assessment arrangements are not developed sufficiently across all subjects, so the school does not yet have a precise understanding of how well pupils are learning the curriculum over time or exactly where gaps in knowledge are. Occasionally, teaching strategies and tasks are less effective in helping pupils deepen their knowledge, meaning some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Curriculum leadership is being strengthened but is not yet sharp and precise across all subjects. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2013; it was previously exempt from routine inspection after being judged outstanding. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. Parents are supportive, governance is insightful, and staff appreciate the training and support they receive.

Strengths

• Caring, kind community where pupils feel happy, safe and valued.
• Ambitious curriculum and high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Strong phonics and reading provision that helps pupils become confident, fluent and avid readers.
• Effective early years provision with caring relationships, established routines and strong outdoor learning.
• Positive behaviour and respectful relationships in lessons and around the school.
• Broad personal development programme including clubs, trips, charity work and community visits.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported effectively.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.
• Supportive parents, insightful governance and valued staff training.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment arrangements are underdeveloped across subjects, limiting understanding of pupils’ learning over time.
• The school does not precisely identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge to adapt future learning.
• Some teaching strategies and tasks are less effective in helping pupils deepen their knowledge.
• Recent curriculum changes are very new and have not yet been fully evaluated.
• Curriculum leadership needs further strengthening to be sharp and precise across all subjects.
• Occasionally, curriculum delivery does not ensure pupils achieve as well as they could, including in the early years.

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 South Farnborough Infant School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.5% 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, 0.8% of pupils at South Farnborough 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 South Farnborough Infant School had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% 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, 4.2% of pupils at South Farnborough Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% 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 South Farnborough Infant School received £6,791 and spent £6,437 for each of its 263 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £35,000 (£133 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 Farnborough · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is South Farnborough Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was South Farnborough Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

South Farnborough Infant School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does South Farnborough Infant School have?

South Farnborough Infant School has 263 pupils on roll.

What age range does South Farnborough Infant School cover?

South Farnborough Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is South Farnborough Infant School?

South Farnborough Infant School is at Queen's Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6JU.