Old Town Infant School and Nursery
Old Town Infant School and Nursery is an academy converter in Poole for pupils aged 3 to 7. It has 178 pupils on roll. It has more teachers for its size than most primary schools: 14.7 pupils for each teacher in 2025/26, against 20.7 nationally. Teacher turnover is high, with about 46% of its teachers gone within a year (in 2022/23; nationally, 18%).
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-7 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Green Road Poole Dorset BH15 1QB |
| Reference Number | 142971 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 178 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 51.69%
Girls: 48.31% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 37.4% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 43.3% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 20.8 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 22.3 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | 19 | 42 |
| 2 | 20 | 19 | 39 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 56.2% |
| White, Other | 11.8% |
| African | 8.4% |
| Indian | 7.3% |
| Asian, Other | 2.8% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.7% |
| Pakistani | 1.1% |
| White & Asian | 0.6% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | |
| Last Report Date | 25 Mar 2025 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2025 | School inspection |
| 21 May 2019 | Short inspection |
| 06 Jul 2016 | Academy conversion letter |
| 16 Jul 2013 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Old Town Infant School and Nursery | |
| 07 Jan 2011 | Interim assessment |
| 17 Oct 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 07 Jun 2004 | Full inspection |
Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 22 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 17 | 1 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 Old Town Infant School and Nursery had 138 pupils for 232 places. 94 places (40.5%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “South Central Poole” planning area
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole counted 862 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 749 in 2029–30, down 13%.
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 270 | 270 | 270 | 232 | 232 | 232 | 232 | 232 |
| Pupils | 216 | 178 | 159 | 160 | 157 | 166 | 159 | 138 |
| Unfilled | 20.0% | 34.1% | 41.1% | 31.0% | 32.3% | 28.4% | 31.5% | 40.5% |
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 Old Town Infant School and Nursery attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.8% | 4.0% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 3.8% | 4.8% | 3.5% | 3.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 1.9% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 1.7% |
| Severely absent pupils | 1.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 2.3% of pupils at Old Town Infant School and Nursery were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 4.2 | 2.4 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 6.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Old Town Infant School and Nursery had 14.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 7.1 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 12.8 | 9.5 | 8.1 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 6.7 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 0.0% | 13.1% | 17.1% | 28.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 23.6% | 16.7% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 53.8% | 57.1% | 57.1% | – | 41.7% | 69.2% | 66.7% | 50.0% | 43.8% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 1.3 | 12.5 | 5.1 | – | 0.9 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | – |
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, 13.5% of pupils at Old Town Infant School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
The school has resourced provision with 9 pupils.
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 7 | 4 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 7 | 2 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 1 | 7 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 5 | 0 |
| Down's syndrome | 0 | 1 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 1 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
| Vision impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 Old Town Infant School and Nursery received £10,662 and spent £10,883 for each of its 160 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £20,000 (£123 per pupil).
Across all 20 schools of Coastal Learning Partnership, income was £6,936 and spending £6,570 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £57,000 | £126,000 | £107,000 | £45,000 | -£2,000 | £20,000 |
| per pupil | £316 | £670 | £575 | £243 | -£10 | £123 |
| In-year balance | £74,000 | £28,000 | £64,000 | -£63,000 | £11,000 | -£35,000 |
| per pupil | £411 | £150 | £345 | -£339 | £58 | -£221 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Longfleet Church of England Primary School
Jolliffe Avenue, Poole, Dorset, BH15 2HF |
0.78 miles |
|
Oakdale Junior School
School Lane, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3JR |
0.91 miles |
|
Hamworthy Park Junior School
Ashmore Crescent, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4DG |
0.99 miles |
|
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole
Devon Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3QQ |
1.05 miles |
|
Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School
Blandford Road, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4AX |
1.06 miles |
|
Ocean Academy Poole
Constitution Hill Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0PZ |
1.19 miles |
|
Stanley Green Infant Academy
Stanley Green Road, Oakdale, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3AA |
1.34 miles |
|
Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School
Mill Lane, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 8UL |
1.43 miles |
|
Canford Heath Junior School
Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ |
1.7 miles |
|
Canford Heath Infant School
Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ |
1.71 miles |
|
Lilliput Church of England Infant School
Lilliput Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 8JX |
1.86 miles |
|
Bournemouth Collegiate Preparatory School
St Osmund's Road, Poole, BH14 9JY |
1.96 miles |
|
Livingstone Road Infant School
Livingstone Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 3DT |
2.1 miles |
|
Livingstone Road Junior School
Livingstone Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 3DX |
2.14 miles |
|
Courthill Infant School
Courthill Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 9HL |
2.14 miles |
|
Bayside Academy
Turlin Road, Turlin Moor, Bayside Academy, Poole, Dorset, BH16 5AH |
2.16 miles |
|
Haymoor Junior School
Ashdown Close, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8WG |
2.32 miles |
|
Hillbourne Primary School
Kitchener Crescent, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7HX |
2.47 miles |
|
Ad Astra Infant School
Sherborn Crescent, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8AP |
2.5 miles |
|
Yarrells Preparatory School
Yarrells House, Poole, BH16 5EU |
2.61 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Poole High School
Wimborne Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 2BW |
0.66 miles |
|
The Cornerstone Academy
Blandford Close, Hamworthy, Poole, Dorset, BH15 4BQ |
0.93 miles |
|
The Bournemouth and Poole College
North Road, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0LS |
1.09 miles |
|
Longspee Academy
Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ |
1.73 miles |
|
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole
Dale Valley Road, Oakdale, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3HY |
1.86 miles |
|
Parkstone Grammar School
Sopers Lane, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7EP |
2.14 miles |
|
Magna Academy
Ashdown Close, Adastral Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8RE |
2.41 miles |
|
Montacute School
3 Canford Heath Road, Poole, Dorset, BH17 9NG |
2.47 miles |
|
Poole Grammar School
Gravel Hill, Poole, Dorset, BH17 9JU |
2.73 miles |
|
St Aldhelm's Academy
Herbert Avenue, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4HS |
2.83 miles |
|
Victoria Education Centre
12 Lindsay Road, Branksome Park, Poole, Dorset, BH13 6AS |
2.85 miles |
|
Winchelsea School
Guernsey Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4LL |
3.13 miles |
|
The Lion Works School
543 Wallisdown Road, Poole, Dorset, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5AD |
3.43 miles |
|
Langside School
Langside Avenue, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BN |
3.6 miles |
|
Talbot Heath School
Rothesay Road, Bournemouth, BH4 9NJ |
3.7 miles |
|
Lytchett Minster School
Post Green Road, Purbeck, Lytchett Minster, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6JD |
3.82 miles |
|
Corfe Hills School
Higher Blandford Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 9BG |
3.92 miles |
|
Oak Academy
Duck Lane, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9JJ |
4.24 miles |
|
LeAF Studio
Holloway Avenue, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9JW |
4.36 miles |
|
The Bourne Academy
Hadow Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH10 5HS |
4.53 miles |
All schools in Poole · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority: places and applications
Old Town Infant School and Nursery is part of Coastal Learning Partnership, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:
- Longfleet Church of England Primary School Poole
- Oakdale Junior School Poole
- Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School Poole
- Lilliput Church of England Infant School Poole
- Courthill Infant School Poole
- Heatherlands Primary School Poole
- Heathlands Primary Academy Bournemouth
- St Luke's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth
- Bethany Church of England Junior School Bournemouth
- Queen's Park Infant Academy Bournemouth
How many pupils does Old Town Infant School and Nursery have?
Old Town Infant School and Nursery has 178 pupils on roll.
What age range does Old Town Infant School and Nursery cover?
Old Town Infant School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 7.
Where is Old Town Infant School and Nursery?
Old Town Infant School and Nursery is at Green Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1QB.