Eling Infant School and Nursery

About Eling Infant School and Nursery

Eling Infant School and Nursery sits within Hampshire, a large local authority that contains 425 primary schools, of which only 33 currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school is one of those select few, and its most recent inspection in 2025 awarded it top marks across every category judged: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That puts it in strong company locally. Among Hampshire’s top-performing primary peers, the school ranks alongside Preston Candover Church of England Primary School, Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School, and St Faith’s Church of England Primary School. The nearest other Outstanding-rated infant school is Hazel Wood Infant School, about 2.1 kilometres away. For families in the New Forest area looking for a state-funded, mixed-gender infant school with nursery provision, Eling stands out as one of the highest-rated options within easy reach.

Academic outcomes at Eling are not published in the form of KS2 SATs results because the school only covers Reception through Year 2 (ages 4 to 7), so pupils move on before the standard end-of-primary assessments. Instead, the school’s quality is best measured by its Ofsted record. The 2025 inspection found the quality of education to be Outstanding, a significant improvement from the previous graded inspection in 2011, when the school was rated Good overall and required improvement in early years provision. The leadership and management team, led by headteacher Trina Sillence, was also rated Outstanding. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 96% of respondents would recommend the school, and 87% strongly agreed that their child is happy there. In the Parent View survey, 94% strongly agreed that the school makes them aware of what their child will learn, and 85% strongly agreed that their child does well at the school.

The school is oversubscribed, with 88 applications for 43 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, and 39 first-preference offers made from 43 first-preference applications. That gives a ratio of just over two applicants per place, so early application is wise. Facilities include a forest school, sensory room, library, ICT suite, art studios, sports hall, and playing fields, with clubs spanning science, coding, chess, and gardening. Sports on offer include football, gymnastics, swimming, netball, rounders, and cross country. The school provides for a range of special educational needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. With 24.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a mixed catchment. It will particularly suit families who want a strong early-years foundation in a small, well-regarded infant school with a nursery attached, and who are comfortable with the transition to a separate junior school at age seven.

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