Crofton Anne Dale Infant School

About Crofton Anne Dale Infant School

Crofton Anne Dale Infant School was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022, a change from the Outstanding rating it held at its previous inspection in 2007. The school serves children from ages 4 to 7 in Fareham, Hampshire, and is a state primary with 203 pupils on roll against a capacity of 270. The Ofsted report awarded Good across all five graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. While the school no longer holds the top grade, the inspectors found no areas requiring improvement, and the early years provision was also rated Good. For a school of this size, the consistency across all domains suggests solid day-to-day practice. The school is not among Hampshire’s 33 Outstanding primaries, but the nearest Outstanding-rated infant school, Ranvilles Infant School, is 2.8 kilometres away, offering a nearby alternative for families prioritising that grade.

Academic outcomes at Crofton Anne Dale are not directly measured by Key Stage 2 SATs, as the school only covers infants up to Year 2. The most informative metric is therefore the Ofsted judgement on quality of education, which is Good. For context, the Hampshire local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment is 61 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard, though this figure applies to schools with older pupils. The school’s most recent inspection noted that pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, with a particular strength in early reading. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 8.9 per cent, below the national average, which may reflect the local demographic. Compared with its previous Outstanding rating, the school has maintained strong behaviour and attitudes, rated Good, and inspectors highlighted that pupils are polite, attentive and keen to learn. Without published SATs data, the Ofsted breakdown remains the most reliable indicator of academic health for this infant school.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 118 applications for 60 places, with 66 first-preference applications and 60 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.97. This suggests strong local demand. Facilities include an ICT suite, library, sports hall, dining hall, playing fields, forest school, music rooms and a chapel. Sports offered are netball, tennis, gymnastics and athletics, while clubs include gardening, drama and choir. The school provides for a range of special educational needs, including moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, and physical disability. There is no nursery provision and no sixth form, as expected for an infant school. Crofton Anne Dale suits families in Fareham seeking a well-regarded state infant school with a broad range of facilities and a clear focus on early years development, particularly those who value forest school and music provision.

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