Canford Heath Infant School, Poole
Canford Heath Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Poole, part of Teach Poole. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. It was 90% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Canford Heath Infant School in detail
Canford Heath Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Canford Heath Infant School is a truly unique school, where children always come first. We are passionate about our exceptional curriculum - it has been created with the needs of our children at its heart. As a result of our dedication and high expectations, our children acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding to become resilient empowered learners for life."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, tennis, gymnastics, karate and cheerleading.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Canford Heath Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 134 families put Canford Heath Infant School as their first choice and 273 named it as one of their preferences, for 120 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 19 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Canford Heath Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Canford Heath Infant School are Canford Heath Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 85% reading, 84% maths); Stanley Green Infant Academy (0.5 miles, Good); Haymoor Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 83% reading, 72% maths); and Ad Astra Infant School (0.8 miles, Good).
Canford Heath Junior SchoolStanley Green Infant AcademyHaymoor Junior SchoolAd Astra Infant School
The trust
Canford Heath Infant School is one of 4 schools run by Teach Poole, an academy trust.
Who goes there
8.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 49 pupils (13.4%) received SEN support and 23 (6.3%) 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.
Canford Heath Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Poole Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gibson Road (opposite), 150 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Canford Heath Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Canford Heath Infant School are St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole (0.5 miles); Magna Academy (0.7 miles); Parkstone Grammar School (0.8 miles); and Poole Grammar School (1.1 miles).
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, PooleMagna AcademyParkstone Grammar SchoolPoole Grammar School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
8.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Canford Heath Infant School
Early Years 2027 Open Evening
11 Sep 2026
NEW WRAP AROUND CARE REGISTRATION FORM
31 Mar 2025
NHS ParentLine 5-19
20 May 2024
Pupil Premium
26 Jan 2024
Hot Meals Autumn 2024
8 Dec 2023
We are in the news!
16 May 2023
From Canford Heath Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Canford Heath Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Canford Heath Infant School.
- Super Stars @Stanley Green800m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Canford Heath Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Canford Heath Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Canford Heath Infant School is in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; for families living there:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 28
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 22 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
7 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Canford Heath Infant School
Will you get a place at Canford Heath Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Canford Heath Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Canford Heath Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Canford Heath Infant School.
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Canford Heath Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Canford Heath Infant School for 2016 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
364 pupils
405 places
41 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Poole
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Poole
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
Places available
3,809
Applications
3,148
Got 1st preference
92.2%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
49
SEN Support
23
EHC Plans
19.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Canford Heath Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
367
Total Pupils
157
Boys
210
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
19
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,908
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2006k
Total funding
£62k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.0%
Overall absence
7.7%
Persistent absence
248
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
Questions parents ask about Canford Heath Infant School
What is Canford Heath Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Canford Heath Infant School was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Canford Heath Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Canford Heath Infant School is oversubscribed, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Canford Heath Infant School?
Canford Heath Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 405 places.
How big are the classes at Canford Heath Infant School?
Classes at Canford Heath Infant School average 29.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Canford Heath Infant School?
Canford Heath Infant School has around 367 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Canford Heath Infant School have specialist SEN provision?
Canford Heath Infant School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 15 places, 5 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Canford Heath Infant School?
4% of sessions were missed at Canford Heath Infant School in 2024/25. 7.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Canford Heath Infant School?
Apply through Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's coordinated admissions process, naming Canford Heath Infant School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Canford Heath Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Canford Heath Infant School: Super Stars @Stanley Green (800m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Canford Heath Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 22 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 7 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Canford Heath Infant School?
Canford Heath Infant School is at Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)