Moorings Way Infant School

About Moorings Way Infant School

Moorings Way Infant School in Portsmouth was rated Good in its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, a notable improvement from its previous rating of Requires Improvement. The school has held this Good rating across both its 2011 graded inspection and its 2021 ungraded inspection, which confirmed the school remains Good. Leadership and management, as well as early years provision, were each judged Good in the most recent graded inspection. With 127 pupils on roll against a capacity of 135, the school is operating near full but not overcrowded. The most informative exam metric for this infant school is the local authority average Key Stage 2 score, which sits at 53 for Portsmouth primary schools. While Moorings Way does not publish its own KS2 results separately, its Good Ofsted rating places it in a strong position compared with the local picture, where no primary school in the authority has achieved an Outstanding rating from the 45 schools of the same type.

Academically, the school's trajectory is positive. The previous inspection in 2008 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, with early years provision also at that level. By the 2011 graded inspection, both overall effectiveness and leadership and management had risen to Good, and early years provision had improved to Good as well. The 2021 ungraded inspection confirmed the school remains Good, with no downgrade. The school serves a community where 17.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average for primary schools. While individual pupil progress data is not available in the school's published information, the consistent Good rating across two graded inspections suggests stable academic standards. The school's focus on early years is particularly relevant given its age range of 4 to 7, and the Good rating in this area indicates solid foundations for children's learning.

For families considering this school, the practical picture is one of high demand. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 105 applications for 44 places, making it oversubscribed with a ratio of 2.39 applicants per place. Only 33 first-preference applications were made, meaning all first-preference families who applied were offered a place. The school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, playing fields, a gymnasium, a forest school, and an outdoor playground, plus a chapel. Sports provision includes rounders, gymnastics, swimming, and cricket, while clubs cover drama, coding, art, and book club. SEND support is available for moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication difficulties, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a small, popular infant school that suits families seeking a Good-rated local option with strong early years provision and a clear improvement story from its previous inspection.

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