Cove Infant School Review 2026: A small infant school with a sequenced curriculum and strong wraparound care

As an infant school, there are no Key Stage 2 results to interpret, and school performance discussions should focus on early years, phonics, and Key Stage 1 outcomes.

The school publishes a multi-year snapshot for Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), phonics, and Key Stage 1. In 2022 to 2023, 67% of children achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD), and the same publication notes that the England comparator for that year was awaiting publication at the time of posting. In 2021 to 2022, GLD was 74% against an England figure of 65%.

For phonics, 2022 to 2023 shows 81% passing the Year 1 phonics screening check, with the England comparator again marked as awaiting publication in that document. In 2021 to 2022, the figure shown is 71% against an England figure of 75%.

Key Stage 1 teacher assessment (Year 2) is presented in a way that parents can understand, separating expected standard and greater depth. In 2022, reading expected standard plus was 75% (England 67%), writing expected standard plus was 54% (England 58%), and maths expected standard plus was 73% (England 68%). Science is also summarised, with 85% meeting the expected standard in 2021 to 2022 against 77% shown for England in the same table.

How to interpret that pattern: the overall picture is mixed in the way you often see at Key Stage 1, where cohorts can swing, and writing can lag behind reading and maths. The more meaningful signal is whether the curriculum and teaching routines support consistent progress across Reception to Year 2, because that is what will feed into Key Stage 2 later at junior school.

The strongest thread here is sequencing. The curriculum is described in formal review material as bespoke and ambitious, with carefully chosen content mapped from Reception through to the end of Year 2. That matters because the best infant schools are not simply busy, they are coherent, with knowledge and skills building in a deliberate order.

Reading looks well organised. Phonics is taught through Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised, and the school sets out that it provides daily phonics lessons and trained delivery. External review material also describes a positive reading culture, with books matched to taught sounds so pupils build fluency and confidence.

Mathematics has an identifiable approach, rather than being left to individual classroom style. The school states that it began its Mastering Number journey in September 2023, aiming to build number sense and calculation fluency across Reception to Year 2. For parents, the practical implication is consistency, pupils should experience a familiar structure and language around number across year groups.

One of the more distinctive internal features is the Discovery Centre, described as a themed hands-on learning area in the middle of the school used for independent learning and exploration. In an infant setting, having a named, central space like this can help make enquiry-based learning feel concrete, particularly for pupils who learn best through practical tasks rather than extended written recording.

For an infant school, the key transition is Year 3. The local authority lists Cove Junior School as a linked school, and notes that attendance at a linked school may assist with priority admission. That is not a guarantee, but it is important context for families planning beyond Year 2.

For Hampshire’s main admissions round for September 2026, Year 3 (infant to junior transfer) follows the same headline timetable as Reception entry. Applications open 01 November 2025, the deadline is 15 January 2026, and the national notification date is 16 April 2026.

If you are comparing several local options, it can help to use FindMySchool’s Saved Schools feature to keep notes on each setting’s transition pathway and admissions rules, especially if your plan depends on a linked-school priority.

Reception places are coordinated through Hampshire County Council, not directly by the school. The published main-round key dates for September 2026 are clear: applications open 01 November 2025, close 15 January 2026, and on-time applicants receive outcomes on 16 April 2026.

Demand, based on published figures provided, exceeds supply. With 174 applications for 60 offers in the latest snapshot, Reception entry should be treated as competitive, even without published last-distance information here. The first-preference pressure is also meaningful, with a first-preference ratio of 1.22 relative to first-preference offers. In plain terms, more families put the school first than there were first-preference places available.

Because no furthest distance at which a place was offered is provided for this school, families should treat proximity and criteria ordering as decisive factors and use FindMySchool’s Map Search to sanity-check their address against likely local competition, then confirm details in the published admissions policy.

For in-year moves (outside the main round), the school directs parents to Hampshire’s in-year process, and notes that outcomes are typically issued within 10 school days, with a maximum of 15 school days.

The school presents wellbeing as a taught and practised part of daily life, not as an add-on. Mindfulness strategies and yoga are referenced as ways pupils learn to self-regulate and stay calm, which is particularly relevant for Reception-aged children still developing attention and emotional control.

Online safety is also taken seriously at an age-appropriate level, with pupils taught not to share personal information and to speak to an adult if something worries them online. That is a sensible focus in a school that uses digital tools and communicates regularly with parents through online channels.

The inspection confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Wraparound provision is more than childcare here, it is integrated into the rhythm of the week. Explorers offers breakfast and after-school care, and published school timings indicate that wraparound runs from 8.00am until the start of the school day, and from the end of the day until 5.30pm. For working families, those hours can be the difference between a feasible school choice and a stressful one.

Clubs are varied for an infant setting and, importantly, named. The school lists Choir, Computing Club, Science Club, Art Club, Cookery Club, and a ‘Try it and See’ club. The practical value here is breadth: pupils can try creative, technical, and performance activities early, which often helps children find confidence outside core classroom tasks.

Outdoor play is also framed as purposeful. The school’s OPAL approach is described as transforming lunchtimes to provide richer and more creative active experiences, with an emphasis on problem-solving, confidence, resilience, and imagination. In infant terms, that is not just fun, it is skill-building through play, which aligns well with early years developmental priorities.

The school day runs with gates opening at 8.40am, pupils expected to be in school by 8.50am, and the day ending at 3.15pm. Explorers wraparound care is published as running from 8.00am to 5.30pm.

For travel planning, Hampshire’s school directory points families to county travel information and journey-planning support tools. In practice, the most useful step is to do a test-run of the route at typical drop-off time, because infant schools often have concentrated arrival windows.

• Competition for Reception places. With 174 applications for 60 offers in the latest snapshot, entry is competitive. Families should have a realistic second and third preference plan when applying.

• No Key Stage 2 runway on-site. This is an infant school, so the next step is a separate junior school. The linked-school relationship with Cove Junior School may help with priority, but families should still understand the Year 3 admissions process early.

• Writing outcomes can vary by cohort. In the published Key Stage 1 table, writing in 2021 to 2022 sits below the England figure shown in the same document, while reading and maths are stronger. If writing is a specific concern for your child, ask how handwriting, sentence construction, and vocabulary are taught from Reception onwards.

• Curriculum refinement in a small number of subjects. The most recent inspection narrative highlights that, in some subjects, the precise knowledge pupils need before new learning was not identified clearly enough, which can affect how well teachers check understanding. It is worth asking what has changed since 2024, and how subject leaders are tightening progression.

This is a well-organised infant school with a clear approach to early reading, a developing maths strategy, and practical wraparound care that is genuinely useful to families. It suits pupils who respond well to calm routines, explicit teaching of behaviour and self-regulation, and a curriculum that is planned carefully from Reception to Year 2. The limiting factor is admission competition, so the best approach is an early, well-informed application plan.