North Farnborough Infant School

North Farnborough Infant School is performing to the expected standard overall following its full section 5 inspection in May 2026. It is a small, happy and inclusive infant school where pupils behave well, feel safe and belong, and where reading, phonics and mathematics are taught effectively. The curriculum is broad, balanced and carefully sequenced, early years provision gives children a positive start, and pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged are generally supported well. Leaders, governors and staff work closely with parents and have created a positive culture; safeguarding standards are met. The main areas for development are in writing transcription, especially handwriting and spelling. A new programme is in place but is not yet fully embedded, and assessment is not consistently used to address errors and misconceptions, so some pupils continue to make errors in letter formation and spelling. Leaders also need to strengthen how they monitor the impact of strategies and interventions that address barriers to learning, including for pastoral support and different groups, so that adaptations are consistently well informed. Attendance is broadly in line with national averages, though leaders continue to refine their response to absence requests.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well consistently and have highly positive attitudes to learning.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised and taught effectively.
• Mathematics teaching is particularly effective and helps pupils become confident with number.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and carefully sequenced.
• Pupils remember wider curriculum content and use technical vocabulary accurately.
• Early years provides a positive start and prepares children well for Year 1.
• The school has an inclusive ethos and supports disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND effectively.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is extensive and responsive to pupils’ needs.
• Pupils are well prepared for life beyond school and understand safety, health and positive relationships.
• A wide range of extracurricular activities and outdoor learning benefits pupils.
• Leaders are effective, understand the school’s needs and secure improvement in identified areas.
• Governors provide appropriate support and challenge and fulfil their statutory duties.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school, and staff value the supportive working environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting and spelling are less secure across the school.
• The new handwriting programme is not yet fully embedded.
• Staff do not consistently use assessment to address errors and misconceptions.
• Some pupils continue to make errors in letter formation and spelling.
• Monitoring of the impact of strategies to address barriers to learning is not sufficiently rigorous or embedded.
• Leaders do not yet fully understand the impact of pastoral interventions or use it well enough to inform next steps.
• Analysis of support for all groups of pupils and interventions is not consistently rigorous.
• Leaders continue to refine their response to requests for absence.

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 North Farnborough Infant School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.2% 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 North 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 North Farnborough Infant School had 22.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.5% 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, 10.0% of pupils at North Farnborough Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% 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 North Farnborough Infant School received £6,879 and spent £7,007 for each of its 170 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £177,000 (£1,041 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 North Farnborough Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was North Farnborough Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

North Farnborough Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does North Farnborough Infant School have?

North Farnborough Infant School has 170 pupils on roll.

What age range does North Farnborough Infant School cover?

North Farnborough Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is North Farnborough Infant School?

North Farnborough Infant School is at Rectory Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 8AJ.