Overdale Infant School

About Overdale Infant School

Overdale Infant School, a state primary in Leicester for children aged 3 to 7, has turned a corner. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, conducted in January 2025, inspectors judged the school to be Good across all areas, including the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision. This is a notable improvement from its previous inspection in September 2022, when the school was rated Requires Improvement overall. The turnaround is reflected in the leadership and management, which also moved up to Good. While the school does not publish Key Stage 2 SATs results — it only teaches up to Year 2 — the most informative metric for academic progress is the Ofsted judgement itself. The report highlights that pupils now achieve well, with a clear curriculum in place. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 90% of respondents would recommend the school, and 95% agree or strongly agree that their child is happy there.

Because Overdale is an infant school, it does not produce the standard Key Stage 2 data that would allow a direct comparison with the Leicester local authority average of 62% achieving the expected standard. However, the Ofsted improvement story is the strongest signal of academic health. The school’s capacity is 370, and it currently has 321 pupils on roll, with 8.4% eligible for free school meals — below the national average. The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 142 applications for 89 places, with 88 first-preference applications and 87 offers made to first-preference families. That oversubscription ratio of 1.6 suggests strong local demand. The school also has a nursery provision, so families can start their child’s education here from age three.

Facilities include a library, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, playing fields, and a dining hall. Sports on offer include netball, athletics, rounders, gymnastics, swimming, tennis, and cross country. There are also clubs for gardening, drama, and coding. For children with additional needs, the school has SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. Parent views on SEND support are mixed: 63% agree or strongly agree that the school gives SEND children the support they need, but 27% disagree or strongly disagree, and 10% said they didn’t know. This school will suit families looking for a well-regarded local infant school with a clear improvement trajectory, strong parental satisfaction, and a broad range of activities for younger children.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Overdale Infant School

Helpful Guides for Parents