Ashley Infant School, New Milton
Ashley Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in New Milton. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 82% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Ashley Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Ashley Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Ashley Infant School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Ashley Infant School are Ashley Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 71% reading, 63% maths); Hordle CofE (VA) Primary School (1 mile, Outstanding, 86% reading, 88% maths); New Milton Junior School (1.3 miles, Good, 79% reading, 75% maths); and New Milton Infant School (1.3 miles, Good).
Ashley Junior SchoolHordle CofE (VA) Primary SchoolNew Milton Junior SchoolNew Milton Infant School
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Ashley Infant School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 79% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (79%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 16 pupils (10.7%) received SEN support and 39 (26.2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Ashley Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Ashley Infant School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is New Milton Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ashley Crossroads (nw-bound), 190 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Ashley Infant School issued 3 suspensions, 1.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ashley Infant School is a nurturing place where children thrive both academically and emotionally. The school teaches reading exceptionally well with pupils developing a genuine love of books, and it provides outstanding support for children with special needs and those learning English. Staff focus on developing children's character and life skills through the CHARM values, helping them become confident, respectful learners.
Key Strengths
- Creates a happy, inclusive atmosphere where pupils are kind, respectful and demonstrate impressive behaviour both in and out of class
- Skilful phonics teaching and strong focus on early reading, with pupils showing genuine enthusiasm for books
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge step-by-step, using the local area to bring learning to life
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and those learning English as an additional language
- Strong emphasis on teaching life skills and emotional wellbeing through the CHARM values
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not always remember some of the intended learning from the ambitious foundation subjects curriculum
- Need to strengthen assessment checks to cover subject-specific skills in foundation subjects as well as knowledge
- More work needed to ensure pupils fully understand what it means to be a historian, scientist, etc.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Library sessions, visits to New Forest, beach visits, castle visits, museum visits
Ashley Infant School has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school nurtures children through a well-designed curriculum and strong pastoral care, with pupils showing impressive behaviour and a love of learning.
At a Glance
22.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language, Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
17.6
Avg class size
20.8
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Ashley Infant School
Weekly Newsletter Final
17 Jul 2026
Weekly Newsletter 31
10 Jul 2026
Weekly Newsletter 30
3 Jul 2026
Weekly Newsletter 29
26 Jun 2026
Weekly Newsletter 28
19 Jun 2026
Weekly Newsletter 27
12 Jun 2026
From Ashley Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Ashley Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Ashley Infant School.
- Little Prems420m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Ashley Infant School, with their latest published grades:
- Little Trees Pre-School - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 15 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Muddy Puddles Pre-School - Pre-school, 0.4 milesOfsted, 11 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Little Acorns Nursery (New Milton) Limited - Day nursery, 1.1 milesOfsted report card, 28 July 2026: Strong standard in 4 areas, Expected standard in 2 areas; safeguarding standards met
- Dana's Aquatic Academy - Day nursery, 1.2 miles
- First Friends Day Nursery - Day nursery, 1.2 milesOfsted report card, 21 July 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ashley Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ashley Infant School is in Hampshire; for families living there:
Apply to Hampshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Ashley Infant School
Will you get a place at Ashley Infant School?
For 2026 entry it had 26 first choices for 28 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
82%
Available places
172 pupils
210 places
38 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Hampshire council
Places available
15,642
Applications
12,982
Got 1st preference
93.4%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Hampshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the New Milton Primary planning area (Hampshire) will have 261 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
39
EHC Plans
36.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ashley Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
149
Total Pupils
71
Boys
78
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
11.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,763
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,944
Per pupil
£1171k
Total funding
£64k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.4%
Overall absence
20.0%
Persistent absence
125
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Ashley Infant School
Questions parents ask about Ashley Infant School
What is Ashley Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Ashley Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Good.
Is it hard to get a place at Ashley Infant School?
Ashley Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Ashley Infant School?
Classes at Ashley Infant School average 17.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Ashley Infant School?
Ashley Infant School has around 149 pupils on roll. 23% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Ashley Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Ashley Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs and autism: 32 places, 32 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Ashley Infant School?
6.4% of sessions were missed at Ashley Infant School in 2024/25. 20% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does Ashley Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Ashley Infant School: Little Prems (420m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Ashley Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 4 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hampshire is 9 (the median across 617 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ashley Infant School?
Ashley Infant School is at Lower Ashley Road, Ashley, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 5AA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)