Moorings Way Infant School

Moorings Way Infant School demonstrates strong performance across various domains, with a notable emphasis on safeguarding and personal development. Leaders have effectively created an inclusive environment, ensuring that all pupils, including those with SEND, receive the support they need to thrive academically and socially. The school's personal development programme is well-aligned with pupils' needs, fostering a sense of community and respect among pupils. Parents appreciate the strong communication from the school and the carefully structured support for both academic learning and wellbeing.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding culture making pupils feel safe.
• Effective support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Highly personalized pastoral care and support.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum promoting skill development.
• Strong leadership and governance that supports continuous improvement.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in expectations for writing quality across the school.

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 Moorings Way Infant School attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.7% 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, 0.8% of pupils at Moorings Way 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 Moorings Way Infant School had 15.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.2% 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, 11.2% of pupils at Moorings Way Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.8% 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 2018–19 Moorings Way Infant School received £5,037 and spent £5,607 for each of its 138 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £17,000 (£127 per pupil).

Across all 20 schools of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, income was £5,733 and spending £5,694 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 Southsea · Portsmouth local authority: places and applications

Moorings Way Infant School is part of The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Meon Junior School Portsmouth
• Meon Infant School Southsea
• Penbridge Junior School Portsmouth
• Penbridge Infant School Portsmouth
• The Portsmouth Academy Portsmouth
• New Horizons Primary School Portsmouth
• Cedar Children's Academy Rochester
• The Rochester Grammar School Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Junior Rochester
• Gordons Children's Academy, Infant Rochester

What is Moorings Way Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Moorings Way Infant School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

When was Moorings Way Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Moorings Way Infant School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Moorings Way Infant School have?

Moorings Way Infant School has 116 pupils on roll.

What age range does Moorings Way Infant School cover?

Moorings Way Infant School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Moorings Way Infant School?

Moorings Way Infant School is at Moorings Way, Milton, Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 8YJ.