Old Basing Infant School Review 2026: A rights-based infant education with strong early outcomes

Infant schools do not have GCSE or Key Stage 2 SAT outcomes, so the most meaningful published academic signals are early years profile, phonics, and Key Stage 1 teacher assessment outcomes. Old Basing Infant School publishes a single-page statutory summary for 2023 with school, Hampshire and national comparators side-by-side, which makes interpretation unusually straightforward.

Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception)

In 2023, 80.2% of children achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD), compared with 71.7% for Hampshire and 67.3% nationally in the same published summary. The document also reports an average of 16.1 Early Learning Goals at Expected per child, compared with 14.9 (Hampshire) and 14.1 (national).

What that means for parents

GLD is a broad measure, spanning communication and language, early literacy and maths, and wider personal development. When GLD is well above the comparators on the same table, it usually indicates children are leaving Reception secure in the basics needed for Year 1 learning, especially early reading readiness.

Phonics (Year 1)

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check result is a standout. In 2023, 91.1% reached the expected standard, versus 79.7% for Hampshire and 78.9% nationally on the same published summary.

Implication

a high phonics pass rate tends to translate into more confident independent reading in Year 2, and fewer children needing intensive catch-up, which can reduce pressure later and allow class time to focus on comprehension, vocabulary and writing quality rather than decoding gaps.

End of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Key Stage 1 teacher assessments for 2023 also compare well in the school’s published summary:

• Reading (EXS+) 78.3% (Hampshire 72.7%, national 68.3%)

• Writing (EXS+) 69.6% (Hampshire 64.4%, national 60.1%)

• Maths (EXS+) 83.7% (Hampshire 73.2%, national 70.4%)

• Science (EXS) 98.9% (Hampshire 83.5%, national 77.8%)

• Reading, Writing and Maths combined (EXS+) 68.5% (Hampshire 60.6%, national 56.0%)

The same summary also reports greater depth figures that are substantially above the comparators in reading and maths (for example 37% at greater depth in reading, and 35.9% in maths).

One important contextual note: Key Stage 1 assessment is teacher assessment, so year-to-year movement can reflect cohort differences and professional judgement as well as underlying attainment. Still, the scale of the gaps versus the Hampshire and national lines on the same table is meaningful.

The latest Ofsted inspection (June 2022) judged the school Good overall, with Good judgements across Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and Early Years Provision.

Curriculum design is explicitly cross-curricular and topic-led, with a stated aim of helping children make connections between subjects where it makes sense, and teaching discrete units where it does not. In an infant setting, that approach can be a real advantage when done well, because it allows vocabulary, background knowledge and purposeful talk to build naturally around a shared theme rather than as isolated “mini lessons”.

Reading is positioned as the engine. The inspection evidence describes children starting to learn to read as soon as they join, supported by a comprehensive phonics and wider reading programme, with books matched to pupils’ interests and ability. The 2023 phonics figure provides outcome-level confirmation that the approach is translating into secure decoding for most children.

Mathematics looks similarly grounded in early understanding rather than worksheets. The inspection evidence describes early years number work as plentiful, continuing into a well-planned Key Stage 1 mathematics curriculum.

A practical strength for many families is the school’s emphasis on outdoor learning as a normal teaching tool, not a special event. The school frames outdoor learning as a way to “hook” children into learning and add stimulation and enthusiasm, including using the local environment where it supports curriculum aims.

The main curriculum development point to watch is subject precision in a minority of foundation subjects, where leaders were expected to define essential knowledge and sequence it clearly, so staff are consistently clear about what pupils should learn and remember.

For an infant school, “destinations” is about transition quality and continuity rather than university pipelines. The official evidence describes pupils leaving well prepared for junior school and ready to continue learning about the wider world.

From an admissions and planning perspective, the linked junior pathway matters. Hampshire County Council lists a linked school, St Mary's CE Voluntary Aided Junior School, and notes that attendance at a linked school may help with priority admission there. This is worth checking carefully in the relevant admissions policies, especially for families moving into the area.

The county’s published key dates for September 2026 also include the infant-to-junior transfer window, which runs on the same timeline as Reception applications.

For Reception entry (Year R), applications are coordinated by Hampshire County Council rather than handled solely by the school. The county’s main round key dates for September 2026 are clearly published: applications open 1 November 2025, the deadline is 15 January 2026, and on-time applicants are notified on 16 April 2026.

The demand indicators align with the “popular local choice” picture. For the main entry route, there were 156 applications for 80 offers, and the school is recorded as oversubscribed, with 1.95 applications per place.

The school also signposts practical admissions guidance and publishes its admissions policy documents for relevant years, including a 2026 to 2027 policy link on its site.

For visits and open sessions, the school indicates that tours typically run in the autumn term, often involving Year 2 ambassadors, and that numbers per session are limited for safety, so parents should book through the school office.

A useful way to make admissions decisions more evidence-led is to use FindMySchool’s Map Search to check your home-to-school distance precisely, then track policy priorities across your shortlist. If you are comparing multiple nearby options, the Saved Schools feature can help you keep notes on tours, wraparound availability and sibling considerations in one place.

The pastoral approach reads as structured rather than reactive. Rights Respecting Education is part of the school’s culture language, with explicit teaching about rights such as safety and education. Pupil voice is positioned as normal, with formal roles such as pupil council membership also referenced as part of the broader personal development approach.

On wellbeing, there is more than one strand. myHappymind is described as a whole-school programme grounded in science, teaching emotional regulation and resilience through defined modules. The inspection evidence also references a personal, social and health education curriculum supported by the Heartsmart programme, framed around online safety and physical and mental health habits.

The second explicit official assurance is safeguarding: the inspection report states that safeguarding arrangements are effective. That matters because it underpins everything else, especially in an infant setting where pupils are still learning to articulate worries clearly.

Support for additional needs is described as systematic. The inspection evidence points to strong identification systems and skilled adaptations, including pre-teaching key content so pupils with SEND can engage confidently in lessons.

Extracurricular in an infant school works best when it feels like an extension of the curriculum and values, not just a timetable filler. Old Basing Infant School has a few distinctive elements that make it stand out.

Bee Club and eco action

Beekeeping is unusually substantial for a school of this age range. The school reports starting beekeeping in 2017, running a Bee Club in summer and autumn terms with weekly checks, and building to three hives which, when full, house about 150,000 bees. The educational payoff is clear: real-world science, responsibility, and environmental literacy, presented in a way that is tangible for young children.

Outdoor learning links naturally into this. The school describes using the outdoors to generate ideas and hook children into learning, including use of the local environment where it is the best way to introduce or support concepts. A practical example sits on the site’s outdoor learning pages, including Year 1 work preparing flower beds and planting seeds intended to support pollinators.

Clubs, languages, and wraparound activities

Wraparound is treated as part of the school’s extended offer, not an afterthought. Breakfast Club runs 7:45am to 8:35am, with a published charge of £5.00 per session and a structured approach to bookings and food. After school, the school works with SCL to provide on-site care from 3:15pm to 6:00pm each school day, open to both infant and linked junior pupils.

Alongside care, the school states it continues to provide hour-long clubs with providers including Sports Xtra and Linguatastic, and it also publishes a flyer for French and Spanish clubs. For many families, that combination matters: enrichment without needing additional driving, and a smooth bridge from structured learning to play-based activity.

Pupil leadership

Even at ages 4 to 7, the school explicitly positions pupils as contributors to school life, including through Pupil Council and roles in open mornings. That tends to suit children who like responsibility and thrive when adults treat them as capable.

This is a state school with no tuition fees. Families should still budget for the normal extras such as uniform, trips, and optional clubs.

For travel and drop-off, the school describes a drive-through drop-off system in the morning and asks families to consider car sharing, walking, or park-and-stride where possible. Parking and local road restrictions are also discussed on the school’s parking page, which is worth reading closely if you expect to drive regularly.

• Oversubscription pressure. Demand is high relative to places (156 applications for 80 offers). If you are relying on this school, plan a realistic set of preferences and keep a close eye on the county’s deadlines.

• Curriculum consistency in a minority of subjects. External evidence highlighted that leaders needed to tighten the definition and sequencing of essential knowledge in some foundation subjects, so staff are consistently clear on what pupils should learn and remember.

• Record-keeping detail in safeguarding systems. Safeguarding arrangements were judged effective, but leaders were expected to improve aspects of record-keeping, including recording actions when additional information comes to light.

• Drop-off logistics. A drive-through drop-off system can be efficient, but it also signals that peak-time traffic and parking require active management. Families who prefer walking routes and park-and-stride may find the routine easier.

Old Basing Infant School reads as a confident, values-led infant setting with particularly strong early literacy indicators, backed by a high 2023 phonics outcome and above-comparator Key Stage 1 results on the school’s own published summary. It suits families who like a rights-respecting ethos, early responsibility for pupils, and a practical wraparound offer that covers both breakfast and after school.

Competition for places is the constraint, not the ambition of the offer.