Ad Astra Infant School

Ad Astra Infant School is a 253-pupil infant school within the Teach Poole multi-academy trust. Following its April 2026 section 5 inspection, safeguarding standards were met and inclusion was judged to be a strong standard; the remaining evaluated areas, including achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, leadership and governance, and personal development, met the expected standard. The school is therefore fulfilling the expected standard overall, with inclusion standing out as a particular strength. The report highlights a highly inclusive school where leaders are relentless in removing barriers for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Pupils benefit from bespoke provision, high-quality pastoral support, strong phonics teaching and published Year 1 phonics outcomes that are significantly above national averages. Attendance is above the national average, behaviour is calm and purposeful, and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The early years curriculum is ambitious and well designed, and staff, parents and trustees speak highly of the school’s community and leadership. The main areas for further development are in the wider curriculum. In some subjects, staff check pupils’ learning less precisely, which means gaps are not always identified sharply, and pupils occasionally struggle to connect new content with what they have learned before, limiting how well they build knowledge sequentially over time. Leaders are already aware of these priorities and are expected to continue developing staff expertise so that pupils’ secure and detailed knowledge across the wider curriculum is strengthened.

Strengths

• Inclusion is a clear strength, with leaders relentlessly removing barriers for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Bespoke ‘pups’ and ‘otters’ provision offers an ambitious, tailored curriculum that meets pupils’ changing needs well.
• Pastoral support is of high quality and helps pupils with SEND and other challenges learn successfully alongside their peers.
• Phonics achievement is strong, with Year 1 screening outcomes significantly above the national average over time.
• Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, become fluent readers who are well prepared for their next steps.
• Attendance is above the national average, supported by rigorous analysis and positive relationships with families.
• Behaviour is based on positive relationships, and pupils typically learn in a calm and purposeful environment.
• Pupils are polite, kind and inclusive, and they do not tolerate discrimination.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with a clear focus on reading, communication, letter formation and number.
• Teachers adapt learning effectively for pupils with SEND, including through resources such as sound mats and pre-teaching.
• The early years curriculum is ambitious and well designed across all seven areas of learning.
• Children in the early years achieve well from their starting points and are well prepared for Year 1.
• Trustees hold leaders to account effectively and ensure statutory duties, including safeguarding and safer recruitment, are met.
• Staff are unanimously positive about the school and feel well supported with workload, wellbeing and professional learning.
• Personal development is interwoven through the curriculum and provides pupils with a wide range of enriching experiences.
• Pupils develop a strong understanding of fundamental British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Areas for Improvement

• In some wider curriculum subjects, staff checks on pupils’ learning are not precise enough to identify gaps and build knowledge sequentially.
• Pupils occasionally struggle to connect new learning with content taught previously, which limits how well they build on their learning over time in some subjects.
• Leaders should further develop pupils’ secure and detailed knowledge across the wider 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 Ad Astra Infant School attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Ad Astra 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 Ad Astra Infant School had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.2% 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, 18.7% of pupils at Ad Astra Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.1% 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 2024–25 Ad Astra Infant School received £8,597 and spent £8,742 for each of its 253 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £121,000 (£477 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Teach Poole, income was £6,904 and spending £6,806 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Poole · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority: places and applications

Ad Astra Infant School is part of Teach Poole, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Haymoor Junior School Poole
• Canford Heath Infant School Poole
• Canford Heath Junior School Poole

What is Ad Astra Infant School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Ad Astra Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Ad Astra Infant School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Ad Astra Infant School have?

Ad Astra Infant School has 257 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ad Astra Infant School cover?

Ad Astra Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Ad Astra Infant School?

Ad Astra Infant School is at Sherborn Crescent, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8AP.