Oakley Infant School

About Oakley Infant School

Oakley Infant School, a state primary in Basingstoke and Deane, was rated Good overall by Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection in February 2023. That rating, however, only tells part of the story. The inspection breakdown reveals a school that excels in several key areas: it received Outstanding grades for early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. Leadership and management, along with the quality of education, were both judged Good. This is a notable shift from the school’s previous inspection in 2009, when it was rated Outstanding overall. For a school that only covers Reception through Year 2, the early years grade is particularly telling — it suggests that children get a very strong start. With just 175 pupils on roll against a capacity of 180, the school is operating near full, and the demand is clear: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 126 applications for 60 places, with 54 first-preference offers made from 60 first-preference applications.

Because Oakley Infant School only covers ages 5 to 7, there are no Key Stage 2 SATs results to report — those are taken at the end of Year 6, which its pupils will sit at their next school. The most informative academic metric, then, is the Ofsted breakdown itself. The Outstanding rating for early years provision is a strong indicator of how well children are prepared for formal learning. The school also earned Outstanding marks for personal development and behaviour and attitudes, which suggests a calm, purposeful environment where children feel safe and engaged. In the wider Hampshire local authority, 33 out of 425 primary schools hold an Outstanding overall rating, so Oakley’s strengths in specific categories are notable even if its overall grade is Good. The school’s percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is 5.7%, well below the national average, which may reflect the demographic of the local area. For parents choosing a feeder infant school, the focus here is clearly on building strong foundations rather than chasing exam results.

The school sits on a site that includes a sports hall, ICT suite, forest school area, sensory room, and even a chapel — a generous range of facilities for an infant school. Sports on offer include swimming, cricket, football, rounders, and dance, while clubs extend to science, coding, art, and chess. For children with additional needs, the school provides support for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, and other difficulties or disabilities. The oversubscription ratio of 2.1 to 1, with 60 first-preference applications for 60 places, means that while the school is popular, most families who put it first are likely to secure a spot. Oakley Infant School is a good fit for families in Basingstoke and Deane who want a strong early-years foundation in a well-behaved, well-resourced setting, and who are comfortable with their child moving to a new school at age seven for Key Stage 2.

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