Fairisle Infant and Nursery School

About Fairisle Infant and Nursery School

Fairisle Infant and Nursery School is a state primary in Southampton for children aged 2 to 7, and it stands out from the local authority average in a notable way. The most recent local authority average for Key Stage 2 attainment sits at 55, but because Fairisle is an infant school, its pupils leave at the end of Year 2, before KS2 assessments are taken. This means the school's academic performance cannot be directly compared against that LA benchmark. What can be measured is its popularity: the school received 129 applications for 72 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.79 applicants per place. Of those, 66 were first-preference offers, and 66 first-preference applications were received, suggesting strong local demand. The school is also significantly over its stated capacity of 270, with 327 pupils currently enrolled, which hints at its appeal to families in the area.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025, Fairisle was judged Good overall, with a standout Outstanding rating for personal development. The inspection breakdown shows Good marks for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a clear improvement from the school's previous graded inspection in 2010, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good but gave early years provision a lower score of 2 (Good). The parent view, based on 19 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of respondents would recommend the school. Strongly agree responses were particularly high for children's happiness (74%), feeling safe (74%), and doing well (74%). Concerns about bullying were largely marked as not applicable (74%), and 53% strongly agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, though 5% strongly disagreed on that point.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school, music rooms, art studios, and a sports hall, alongside clubs such as chess, eco club, film club, and coding. Sports provision covers cricket, netball, football, dance, tennis, rounders, and gymnastics. For families with children who have additional needs, Fairisle lists SEND provisions for moderate learning difficulty, profound and multiple learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health, speech language and communication, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school has nursery provision, making it a potential option for families seeking a single setting from age 2 through to Year 2. With its oversubscribed status and strong parent satisfaction, this school suits families who prioritise a supportive early years environment and personal development, and who are comfortable with the transition to a new school at age 7.

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