Overdale Infant School

Overdale Infant School is a warm and welcoming school where pupils are happy, safe and achieve well. Inspectors found the school ambitious for all pupils, with high expectations for behaviour and a strong sense of community. The school has improved considerably since its previous inspection and is now judged good across all key areas, although no overall effectiveness grade is given under the current framework. It is part of the Oak Multi-Academy Trust.

Strengths

• Warm and welcoming school community where pupils feel happy and safe
• Ambitious curriculum that helps pupils achieve well
• High expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct
• Strong start in pre-school with an aspirational curriculum and nurturing staff
• Pupils with SEND are accurately identified and well supported
• Curriculum is well-sequenced and builds on prior knowledge
• Reading is prioritised and phonics is embedded well
• Staff receive high-quality professional development and coaching
• Classrooms are calm and orderly
• Strong pastoral support for pupils' well-being
• Effective leadership with supportive governors and trustees
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is not fully embedded in a few subjects, leaving some pupils' knowledge insecure
• Reception curriculum does not always provide sufficient progression from pre-school
• Teachers do not always act on checks of pupils' understanding to address misconceptions
• Some pupils are absent from school too often and miss important learning
• A small number of pupils need reminders about respecting one another at social times

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 Overdale Infant School attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Overdale 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 Overdale Infant School had 18.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.5% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Overdale Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 2 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 Overdale Infant School received £7,918 and spent £7,796 for each of its 321 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £283,000 (£882 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Oak Multi Academy Trust, income was £6,973 and spending £6,729 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 Leicester · Leicester local authority: places and applications

Overdale Infant School is part of Oak Multi Academy Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Overdale Junior School Leicester
• Brookside Primary School Leicester
• Manor High School Leicester
• Woodland Grange Primary School Leicester

What is Overdale Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Overdale Infant School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Overdale Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Overdale Infant School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Overdale Infant School have?

Overdale Infant School has 352 pupils on roll.

What age range does Overdale Infant School cover?

Overdale Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Overdale Infant School?

Overdale Infant School is at Eastcourt Road, Knighton, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE2 3YA.