Canford Heath Infant School

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole · BH17 8PJ

General information Infant School · 4-7 years Who goes here 367 pupils, 8.7% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Outstanding

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN Resourced provision · 13.4% on SEN support Behaviour 4.0% absence rate Staff 10% turnover Financials £5,723 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Canford Heath Infant School

General Information

Address: Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, BH17 8PJ – View on map
Phone: 01202380015
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Laurin Palmer
Age range: 4-7 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 134 families put it first for 120 places – 11 for every 10 places. 86% of them were offered a place. 1 of the 120 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 11 · 2025 10 · 2026 11
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

367 pupils out of 360 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 32
% eligible for free school meals: 8.7%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average)
English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 10% a year (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 15.3%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 60% moved to another school, 40% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

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.

Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 7.7%
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

Resourced provision for Speech, language and communication 15 places · 5 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 13.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 6.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 25 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 11 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 13 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

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 –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Outstanding 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.

View full Ofsted inspection report

1st of 10 infant schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for Ofsted rating

#1Canford Heath Infant SchoolOutstanding
#2Courthill Infant SchoolGood
#3Lilliput 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.

Rank School Score

#1Canford Heath Infant SchoolOutstanding
#2Courthill Infant SchoolGood
#3Lilliput Church of England Infant SchoolGood
#4Mudeford Community Infants' SchoolGood
#5Old Town Infant School and NurseryGood
#6Queen's Park Infant AcademyGood
#7St Clement's and St John's Church of England Infant SchoolGood
#8Stanley Green Infant AcademyGood
#9Stourfield Infant SchoolGood
#10Twin Sails Infant and Nursery SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,723 (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.

13th of 13 infant schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for spending per pupil

#11Christchurch Infant School£6,026
#12Lilliput Church of England Infant School£5,916
#13Canford Heath Infant School£5,723

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.

Rank School Score

#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)

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