Cumberland Infant School, Southsea
Cumberland Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 7 in Southsea. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2022. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Portsmouth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Cumberland Infant School in detail
Cumberland Infant School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £1.50 per day.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Cumberland Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 69 families put Cumberland Infant School as their first choice and 168 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 9 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Cumberland Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Cumberland Infant School are Wimborne Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 78% reading, 63% maths); Milton Park Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 62% reading, 69% maths); Devonshire Infant School (0.4 miles, Good); and Craneswater Junior School (0.4 miles, Good, 78% reading, 66% maths).
Wimborne Primary SchoolMilton Park Primary SchoolDevonshire Infant SchoolCraneswater Junior School
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (79%) and Mixed (8%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Fratton Rail Station, about 1180 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kimberley Road (e-bound), 190 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Cumberland Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Cumberland Infant School are Priory School (0.8 miles) and Miltoncross Academy (0.8 miles).
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 Good at its December 2022 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
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
28.8
Avg class size
28.8
Infant (KS1)
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Cumberland Infant School
28/9 - Cumberland News - Attendance
2 Oct 2026
21/9 - Cumberland News - Volunteers & BASC
21 Sep 2026
14/9 - Cumberland News - Meet the Teacher
15 Sep 2026
Yearly Dates Letter 2026/27
14 Sep 2026
7/9 - Cumberland News - Welcome Back
8 Sep 2026
7/9 - IMPORTANT - Allergy Information Letter
8 Sep 2026
From Cumberland Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Cumberland Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Cumberland Infant School.
- School Friend Clubs @ Wimborne430m away · Not yet graded
- Active8 Minds Meon Holiday Club970m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Cumberland Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Portsmouth. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Cumberland Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Cumberland Infant School is in Portsmouth; for families living there:
- Portsmouth's school travel policy: Travel assistance policy for school age (5-16) children
- How to apply: apply for discretionary travel assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 35
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 28 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Portsmouth is 57 (the median across 67 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 Cumberland Infant School
Will you get a place at Cumberland Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Cumberland Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Cumberland Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Cumberland Infant School.
- Portsmouth publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Cumberland Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Cumberland Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Portsmouth 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
98%
Near capacity
176 pupils
180 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southsea
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southsea
Across Portsmouth council
Places available
2,230
Applications
1,887
Got 1st preference
93.0%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Portsmouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
18.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
172
Total Pupils
99
Boys
73
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
19.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,494
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,428
Per pupil
£1073k
Total funding
£29k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
3.3%
Persistent absence
122
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
Cumberland Infant School
Questions parents ask about Cumberland Infant School
What is Cumberland Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Cumberland Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2022.
What is the catchment area for Cumberland Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Cumberland Infant School is oversubscribed, Portsmouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Cumberland Infant School?
Cumberland Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Cumberland Infant School?
Classes at Cumberland Infant School average 28.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Cumberland Infant School?
Cumberland Infant School has around 172 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Cumberland Infant School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at Cumberland Infant School in 2024/25. 3.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Cumberland Infant School?
Apply through Portsmouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Cumberland 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 Cumberland Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Cumberland Infant School: School Friend Clubs @ Wimborne (430m away, registered, not yet graded) and Active8 Minds Meon Holiday Club (970m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Cumberland Infant School's term dates?
Cumberland Infant School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Portsmouth. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Cumberland Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 35 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 28 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Portsmouth is 57 (the median across 67 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Cumberland Infant School?
Cumberland Infant School is at Methuen Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 9HJ.
Sources: Portsmouth term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)