Buryfields Infant School Review 2026: A small infant school with strong community roots and an unusually thoughtful approach to service-family life

Infant schools sit in a slightly different results context to full primaries. Nationally published headline measures focus more heavily on the end of Year 6, so parents should expect fewer simple “league table” comparisons for a school that finishes at Year 2. In this case, there is no published local or England ranking position available from the performance.

What you can rely on is the quality picture from external review and the school’s own curriculum evidence. Ofsted’s ungraded inspection on 26 and 27 November 2024 concluded the school had taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

Pupils are expected to work hard and do, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and reading is treated as a whole-school priority from the start of Reception.

If you are comparing nearby options, FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool can still be useful for looking at broader local context side by side, particularly when you are weighing infant-plus-junior pathways against all-through primaries.

A clear strength here is curriculum intent that is specific enough to be meaningful. The school describes foundation subjects as taught discretely, even when a theme links learning across the year groups, so pupils understand when they are learning history, geography, art and design, and so on. That sounds small, but for infant-age children it reduces muddle and helps them form early “subject” concepts.

Early years is structured around independence and confidence, with concrete outcomes such as learning and reciting nursery rhymes, building ambitious vocabulary, and developing local knowledge, including understanding that they live near a Royal Air Force base.

Reading is treated as a core pillar. Staff training and consistency in phonics language is highlighted, with a recognition that precision matters, especially when pupils are first learning sounds and blending. Writing is supported through repeated practice and carefully chosen texts, with pupils encouraged to check and correct their work as they get older.

Mathematics is described in practical classroom terms, including explicit teaching of key vocabulary and pupils using resources to demonstrate and prove their thinking. That emphasis on explanation, even at infant stage, is often a marker of strong teaching, because it builds the habit of reasoning early.

One area for development is assessment across the wider curriculum. The latest report flags that assessment is not fully developed in all subjects, which can make it harder for teachers to be as confident about what pupils remember over time in the foundation subjects. For many families this will not be a deal-breaker, but it is a sensible question to raise at a visit: how does the school check knowledge retention beyond English and maths?

Because the school finishes at Year 2, transition is not to Year 7 but to junior school. The school is explicit that the majority of Year 2 pupils move on to Mayhill Junior School, and staff describe relationships with junior colleagues as part of maintaining a coherent learning journey from Reception through to Year 6 locally.

That “linked school” relationship is also reflected in practical arrangements, including a secure walking bus mentioned for daily transfer routes.

For parents, the implication is straightforward: choosing this school is also choosing an infant-to-junior pathway. It suits families who like the smaller-scale feel of an infant setting for the earliest years, and who are comfortable navigating another admissions and transition point at age 7.

Admissions are coordinated by Hampshire County Council, not directly by the school, and the published admission number for Reception entry in 2026 to 2027 is 60.

The school is oversubscribed. In the latest admissions, there were 91 applications for 57 offers, which equates to 1.6 applications per place offered. That is competitive, but not the “one chance only” level seen in the most pressured urban catchments; it usually means distance and criteria details matter, and late applications can be costly in practice.

The oversubscription rules follow standard local-authority patterns, with priority first to children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, then looked-after and previously looked-after children, then exceptional medical or social need (with independent professional evidence), then children of qualifying staff, then catchment-area children with siblings, and so on. If the school is oversubscribed within a criterion, places are prioritised by straight-line distance.

For September 2026 entry, county “main round” timings are clear: applications open 1 November 2025 and close 15 January 2026, with offers notified on 16 April 2026.

For visiting, the school states it prefers small individual tours rather than open mornings, and for September 2026 starters it welcomes visits from 15 September 2025 onwards.

Parents weighing a move should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their likely distance positioning, then treat it as guidance rather than certainty, because annual intake patterns can shift.

Wellbeing is not framed as a separate bolt-on. It is threaded through routines, vocabulary, and targeted interventions. The most obvious example is support for service families: pupils are helped to manage feelings around deployment, and staff are expected to respond quickly when family circumstances change.

The “learning powers” work as an emotional literacy tool as well as an academic one. Teaching children that mistakes are normal, that perseverance is valued, and that difference should be celebrated gives staff a consistent way to talk about confidence and self-image in age-appropriate terms.

Safeguarding is treated as a core competence, and safeguarding arrangements were judged effective in the latest inspection.

Extra opportunities are strongest when they reinforce the school’s character rather than just adding noise. Here, several named programmes do exactly that.

First, there is a clear “community citizenship” thread. Pupils value the “acorns to oaks” club, described as gardening alongside older members of the community, and they take part in intergenerational links with local organisations.

Second, outdoor learning is structured rather than occasional. Woodland School is described as a programme for small groups of Year 2 pupils, running for at least six weekly sessions and lasting up to two hours, with skills built up week by week. For many children, this kind of repeated outdoor curriculum supports confidence, risk-awareness and teamwork more effectively than a one-off “forest day”.

Third, pupils are given additional experiences such as Trailblazers and other trips, and the school’s published calendar indicates a regular rhythm of themed and cultural events across the year.

There are also smaller details that matter to parents of infant-age children. The inspection report references playtime features like a stage and a car track, and the school dog is mentioned as part of the welcoming culture, which can be a real comfort for younger pupils who are still learning school routines.

The school day has precise routines. Children arrive between 8.30am and 8.40am, with registration closing at 8.55am, and the school day finishes at 3.10pm, with gates opened at 3.05pm for pick-up.

Parking is described as extremely limited, with an explicit request for families to walk where possible and to park considerately if driving.

Wraparound childcare is available via an on-site provider. Breakfast club runs from 7.45am until school starts, and after-school club runs from the end of the school day until 6.00pm.

• An infant-only pathway. School finishes at Year 2, so all pupils move on at age 7. For most, that is to Mayhill Juniors, with transition planned as a continuum, but it is still an extra change point compared with a full primary.

• Competition is real, even if not extreme. The school is oversubscribed, with 91 applications for 57 offers in the latest. Families should take the admissions criteria seriously, especially catchment and distance rules.

• Curriculum assessment is a development area. The latest inspection highlights that assessment is not yet fully developed across all subjects, which matters if you want clear evidence of what your child remembers in the wider curriculum as they move through Year 1 and Year 2.

• Drop-off and parking require planning. Limited parking and a tight arrival window suit families who can walk, cycle, or arrange predictable routines.

This is a small, community-rooted infant school that has done the hard work of making values practical, especially for very young children. Its support for service families is unusually explicit and well thought through, and the curriculum intent, particularly in reading and early learning habits, is clear.

Who it suits: families who want an infant setting with a strong sense of belonging, who value a shared language around confidence and perseverance, and who are comfortable with the planned transition to junior school at the end of Year 2. The main hurdle is admission, not the experience once a place is secured.