Ad Astra Infant School

General Information

Address: Sherborn Crescent, Canford Heath, Poole, BH17 8AP
Phone: 01202602113
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Emma Walters
Age range: 4-7 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 257
School capacity: 270
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 43
% eligible for free school meals: 16.7%
Nursery provision: No

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.8%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 18.7%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 5.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 25 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 7 pupils
Hearing impairment: 3 pupils
Physical disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #2 of 10 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#1Canford Heath Infant SchoolOutstanding
#2Ad Astra Infant SchoolGood
#3Courthill Infant SchoolGood
#4Lilliput Church of England Infant SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1Canford Heath Infant SchoolOutstanding
#2Ad Astra Infant SchoolGood
#3Courthill Infant SchoolGood
#4Lilliput Church of England Infant SchoolGood
#5Livingstone Road Infant SchoolGood
#6Mudeford Community Infants' SchoolGood
#7Queen's Park Infant AcademyGood
#8St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant SchoolGood
#9Stanley Green Infant AcademyGood
#10Stourfield Infant SchoolGood

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £7,700 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #3 of 13 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#1Old Town Infant School and Nursery£10,890
#2St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant School£7,735
#3Ad Astra Infant School£7,700
#4Queen's Park Infant Academy£7,461
#5Stanley Green Infant Academy£6,626

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Old Town Infant School and Nursery£10,890
#2St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant School£7,735
#3Ad Astra Infant School£7,700
#4Queen's Park Infant Academy£7,461
#5Stanley Green Infant Academy£6,626
#6Mudeford Community Infants' School£6,591
#7Livingstone Road Infant School£6,528
#8Stourfield Infant School£6,471
#9Courthill Infant School£6,219
#10Twin Sails Infant and Nursery School£6,205
#11Christchurch Infant School£6,026
#12Lilliput Church of England Infant School£5,916
#13Canford Heath Infant School£5,723

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)