Canford Heath Infant School

Canford Heath Infant School has maintained its outstanding performance since its last inspection, which was conducted 15 years ago. The school provides an exceptional education where pupils thrive in an inclusive environment. With a strong emphasis on personal development and behavior, pupils demonstrate a deep understanding of the school's ethos and are well-prepared for future educational stages. The community and parents express high satisfaction with the school's nurturing atmosphere and commitment to student success.

Strengths

• Exceptional student behavior and attitudes.
• Highly effective phonics teaching and reading support.
• Ambitious and inclusive curriculum tailored to pupil needs.
• Strong pastoral support fostering well-being.
• Excellent personal development programs promoting respect and understanding.
• High levels of parental satisfaction and support.
• Commitment to staff development and well-being.

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 Canford Heath Infant School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.7% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Canford Heath 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 Canford Heath Infant School had 21.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.4% 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, 13.4% of pupils at Canford Heath Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 12 pupils.

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 Canford Heath Infant School received £6,875 and spent £6,766 for each of its 358 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £474,000 (£1,324 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

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

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

What is Canford Heath Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Canford Heath Infant School is Outstanding, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Canford Heath Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Canford Heath Infant School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Canford Heath Infant School have?

Canford Heath Infant School has 367 pupils on roll.

What age range does Canford Heath Infant School cover?

Canford Heath Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Canford Heath Infant School?

Canford Heath Infant School is at Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ.