Ringwood Church of England Infant School

Ringwood Church of England Infant School is performing strongly overall. Inspectors found a calm, inclusive and ambitious school where pupils feel safe, behave excellently and attend well. Leadership and governance are a particular strength, with clear ambition, well-targeted professional development and robust governor challenge. Attendance has improved rapidly and behaviour is excellent, supported by warm relationships and strong pastoral care. The early years provision is highly effective; children get off to a flying start through strong phonics, language development and well-planned learning environments. Personal development and wellbeing are extensive, and inclusion work helps pupils with SEND and vulnerable pupils participate fully. Pupils achieve well overall, especially in core reading and mathematics, although some wider curriculum subjects do not consistently deepen understanding or support long-term recall. The school is also refining how it monitors and evaluates the impact of pupil premium spending so disadvantaged pupils achieve consistently well across the curriculum. Safeguarding standards are met. Contextually, this is a Church of England infant school within the Diocese of Winchester, with a Christian character and a co-located resourced provision for pre-school children with speech, language and communication needs. It has one mixed-age Reception and Year 1 class and is responding thoughtfully to falling birth rates. The inspection was a full section 5 inspection.

Strengths

• Leaders take a strategic and compassionate approach to attendance, with rapid improvement for all pupils including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Pupils' behaviour is excellent, underpinned by clear routines, high expectations and warm relationships.
• Early years provision gives children a flying start, with skilled phonics teaching and strong language development.
• Leaders and governors share a clear ambition and have an accurate understanding of school strengths and improvement priorities.
• Professional development is a clear strength, valued by staff and closely aligned to school priorities.
• Governors provide robust challenge and support, using insightful analysis to hold leaders to account.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is extensive, embedded and an entitlement for all pupils.
• Pastoral support is a notable strength, particularly for vulnerable pupils and those with SEND.
• Inclusion is effective: barriers are identified quickly and support is adapted well so pupils can participate fully.
• Pupils achieve well in core subjects, with particularly secure understanding and recall in mathematics.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching and achievement are not yet as consistently strong across the wider curriculum as in core subjects.
• Opportunities to deepen understanding and strengthen long-term recall are not consistently embedded in some curriculum subjects.
• Some pupils do not always achieve as well as they could in these wider curriculum areas.
• Systems for assessing the impact of pupil premium funding are not consistently precise.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not yet achieve consistently well across the curriculum.

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 Ringwood Church of England Infant School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.3% 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 Ringwood Church of England 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 Ringwood Church of England Infant School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.9% 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, 7.5% of pupils at Ringwood Church of England Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 Ringwood Church of England Infant School received £7,274 and spent £7,271 for each of its 235 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £118,000 (£505 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 Ringwood · Hampshire local authority: places and applications

What is Ringwood Church of England Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ringwood Church of England Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Ringwood Church of England Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ringwood Church of England Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Ringwood Church of England Infant School have?

Ringwood Church of England Infant School has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ringwood Church of England Infant School cover?

Ringwood Church of England Infant School for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is Ringwood Church of England Infant School?

Ringwood Church of England Infant School is at School Lane, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 1LG.