Courthill Infant School

Courthill Infant School is performing well overall, earning a 'Good' rating across various domains in its recent inspection. Parents describe the school as a warm and nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and supported. The strong leadership is evident in the school's ambitious curriculum and the high expectations set for pupils, which contribute to their good behavior and positive attitudes towards learning. Personal development is particularly strong, with many opportunities for pupils to engage in extracurricular activities and community involvement.

Strengths

• Warm and nurturing environment for learning.
• Strong pastoral support for pupils and families.
• Ambitious and inspiring curriculum.
• Effective teaching of early reading and phonics.
• Highly regarded personal development initiatives.
• Strong emphasis on respect and tolerance.
• High attendance in clubs and enrichment activities.
• Supportive staff environment focused on well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, learning design is disjointed, affecting knowledge retention.

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 Courthill Infant School attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.7% 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 Courthill 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 Courthill Infant School had 21.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.2% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Courthill 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 2024–25 Courthill Infant School received £6,649 and spent £6,212 for each of its 342 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £42,000 (£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

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

Courthill Infant School is part of Coastal Learning Partnership, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• Heatherlands Primary School Poole
• Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School Poole
• Lilliput Church of England Infant School Poole
• Longfleet Church of England Primary School Poole
• Oakdale Junior School Poole
• Old Town Infant School and Nursery Poole
• Heathlands Primary Academy Bournemouth
• St Luke's Church of England Primary School Bournemouth
• Queen's Park Infant Academy Bournemouth
• Bethany Church of England Junior School Bournemouth

What is Courthill Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Courthill Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Courthill Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Courthill Infant School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Courthill Infant School have?

Courthill Infant School has 354 pupils on roll.

What age range does Courthill Infant School cover?

Courthill Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Courthill Infant School?

Courthill Infant School is at Courthill Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 9HL.