Cove Infant School, Farnborough
Cove Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Farnborough. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. It was 92% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Cove Infant School in detail
Cove Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a small, friendly and happy school, set back from the main road in the centre of delightful grounds. Built in 1954, Cove Infants has provided education to local children for many years - grandparents and parents of children who attend the school currently also used to attend here themselves!"
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir, STEM, cooking and art.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Cove Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 48 families put Cove Infant School as their first choice and 154 named it as one of their preferences, for 59 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cove Infant School are Cove Junior School (0.2 miles, Good, 69% reading, 69% maths); Manor Infant School (0.2 miles, Requires improvement); Manor Junior School (0.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 69% maths); and Guillemont Junior School (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 73% reading, 78% maths).
Cove Junior SchoolManor Infant SchoolManor Junior SchoolGuillemont Junior School
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 23 pupils (13.4%) received SEN support and 4 (2.3%) 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.
Staffing
Cove 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 Farnborough (Main) Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Birchett Road (ne-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 190 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Cove Infant School issued 31 suspensions, 18.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cove Infant School are Cove School (0.1 miles) and Bohunt Farnborough (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.7
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Cove Infant School
Autumn Term 1 Newsletter 2
18 Sep 2026
Autumn Term 1 Newsletter 1
4 Sep 2026
Summer Term 2 Newsletter 5
24 Jul 2026
Summer Term 2 Newsletter 2
22 Jun 2026
Summer Term 2 Newsletter 1
5 Jun 2026
Summer Term 1 Newsletter 3
15 May 2026
From Cove Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Cove Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cove Infant School.
- CM Sports After School Club880m away · Not yet graded
- SCL at Parsonage Farm880m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cove Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cove 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
5 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 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 Cove Infant School
Will you get a place at Cove Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cove Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cove Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cove Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hampshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cove Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hampshire 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
92%
Near capacity
166 pupils
180 places
14 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Farnborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Farnborough
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
15.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
172
Total Pupils
85
Boys
87
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
13.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,229
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,691
Per pupil
£1069k
Total funding
£38k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
14.9%
Persistent absence
121
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
Cove Infant School
Questions parents ask about Cove Infant School
What is Cove Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Cove Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2021 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Cove Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Cove Infant School is oversubscribed, Hampshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cove Infant School?
Cove Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Cove Infant School?
Classes at Cove Infant School average 28.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cove Infant School?
Cove Infant School has around 172 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cove Infant School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at Cove Infant School in 2024/25. 14.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cove Infant School?
Apply through Hampshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Cove 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 Cove Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Cove Infant School: CM Sports After School Club (880m away, registered, not yet graded) and SCL at Parsonage Farm (880m 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 Cove Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 5 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 Cove Infant School?
Cove Infant School is at 92 Fernhill Road, Cove, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 9DP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)