Ashley Infant School
94%
Capacity
171
Pupils
1.7x
Demand
About Ashley Infant School
Ashley Infant School is a state primary for children aged 4 to 7, located in the New Forest area of Hampshire. Within the local authority, it sits among 425 primary schools, where only 33 currently hold an Outstanding rating. The school itself is rated Good, and its nearest Outstanding neighbour is Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School, just 1.6 kilometres away. Among the top-performing peers in the LA, Preston Candover Church of England Primary School leads the ranking, followed by Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School and St Faith's Church of England Primary School. Ashley Infant School is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, with 73 applications for 42 places and 39 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.74. The school has a capacity of 182 and currently enrols 171 pupils, with 27.5 per cent eligible for free school meals. Headteacher Sarah Dibben leads a mixed-gender school with no religious character.
In its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025, the school maintained its Good overall effectiveness, with leadership and management, early years provision, and quality of education all judged Good. This is a change from the previous graded inspection in 2015, when the school was rated Outstanding across the board. The ungraded visit confirmed that standards are being maintained. Parent View responses from 59 families between September 2024 and September 2025 are overwhelmingly positive: 93 per cent would recommend the school, and 100 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. Strong agreement was particularly high for safety (85 per cent), awareness of what their child will learn (85 per cent), and SEND support (85 per cent). The school does not publish Key Stage 2 results because its pupils leave at age 7, so direct comparison with the Hampshire LA average of 61 per cent meeting the expected standard is not applicable.
The school offers a range of facilities including a Forest School, library, sensory room, sports hall, and playing fields. Sports include football, rounders, cricket, gymnastics, and tennis, while clubs cover drama, book club, choir, eco club, and science club. SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disability, and a resourced provision. The school does not have a nursery or sixth form. With strong parent satisfaction and oversubscription, this is a school that suits families in the New Forest area looking for a well-regarded infant setting with good pastoral care and a wide range of activities, particularly those with children who may benefit from SEND support.
Key Details
| School Type | Primary (State) |
| Age Range | 4 to 7 years |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Religious Character | Does not apply |
| Address | Lower Ashley Road, New Milton, New Forest, BH25 5AA |
| Headteacher | Sarah Dibben |
| Local Authority | Hampshire |
| Number of Pupils | 171 |
| Free School Meals (FSM) | 27.5% |
| School Capacity | 171 / 182 (94% full) |
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
19 Mar 2025Overall Effectiveness
Good
Latest inspection (19 Mar 2025): Standards maintained
Additional Provisions
Source: Ofsted, 27 Apr 2015. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Ofsted Parent View
59 responsesWould Recommend This School
Source: Ofsted Parent View (GOV.UK statistical data), Sep – Sep 2025
SEND Support
Resourced ProvisionSource: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
10Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
Admissions
2025/26Oversubscribed42
73
Good Demand
Popular school with more applications than places
39 families put this school as their 1st choice (53% of all applications)
Source: Department for Education, 2025/26. Data reflects national offer day applications and offers.
School day
Teaching hours
08:45 – 15:15
Source: ashley-inf.hants.sch.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
Class profile
2024/25Better than 75% of schools in England.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
Lower is generally better — fewer pupils per teacher or per class means more individual attention. Sources: DfE School Workforce Census & Schools, pupils and their characteristics, 2024/25.
Pupils & demographics
2024/25Above the national average (25%) — higher-disadvantage intake.
Above the national median (10%) — a meaningful share speak English as an additional language.
Ethnic background
- White British78.4%
- Asian10.6%
- White (other)5.3%
- Mixed1.8%
Source: DfE Schools, pupils and their characteristics (2024/25). Percentages may not sum to 100% — pupils classified as “unclassified”, “refused” or minor categories are not shown.
Attendance & Behaviour
2024/25Half of schools in England do better than this.
75% of schools in England do better than this.
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
Better than 75% of schools in England.
A pupil temporarily sent home for behaviour.
Like most schools in England, no pupils were permanently excluded this year.
Ranks vs all state-funded schools in England. Source: DfE Pupil absence in schools & Suspensions and permanent exclusions.
Catchment & Local Competition
No catchment data published for this school
The dashed grey ring is a generic 1-mile reference area — it's not an admission boundary. Real catchment depends on year, demand, and council criteria. We currently have real data for about 6% of UK schools and are actively expanding the database.
⚠ This school is oversubscribed — without published cutoff data we can't show how far places reach. Check your council's admissions page.
Schools within 1 mile (reference area)
1 mile is a fixed reference, not this school's catchment.
2
Total schools
1
Oversubscribed
2
Primary
Don’t use the dashed grey ring as a catchment boundary — it’s a reference area for counting nearby schools only. Real admission boundaries depend on year-by-year demand and council criteria; ask the school or council for authoritative info.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley Infant School
Helpful Guides for Parents
Ofsted Ratings Explained
Understand the 4 Ofsted ratings and what they mean
How to Choose a Primary School
Step-by-step guide to choosing the right primary school
KS2 SATs Explained
A parent's guide to Year 6 SATs and how results are reported
SEN & EHCP: A Parent's Guide
Understanding SEN support, EHC Plans and your legal rights
Contact Information
Lower Ashley Road, New Milton
New Forest, BH25 5AA
Journey to School
Journey times are estimates based on current conditions. Actual times may vary.
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