Hollybrook Infant School, Southampton
Hollybrook Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Southampton, part of Hamwic Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2020. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 93% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2020)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Southampton (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Hollybrook Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Hollybrook Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 41 families put Hollybrook Infant School as their first choice and 116 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Hollybrook Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Hollybrook Infant School are Hollybrook Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 75% reading, 82% maths); Shirley Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Shirley Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 76% reading, 60% maths); and Wordsworth Primary and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Requires improvement, 71% reading, 69% maths).
Hollybrook Junior SchoolShirley Infant SchoolShirley Junior SchoolWordsworth Primary and Nursery School
The trust
Hollybrook Infant School is one of 37 schools run by Hamwic Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
35 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Hollybrook Infant School (as of September 2025): 97% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (83%).
Who goes there
43.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (48%), Asian (18%) and Mixed (9%).
In 2026, 13 pupils (8.1%) received SEN support and 6 (3.8%) 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
Hollybrook Infant School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Denys Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rockleigh Road (opposite), 110 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Hollybrook Infant School issued 16 suspensions, 9.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Hollybrook Infant School are Upper Shirley High School (0.4 miles), Cantell School (1 mile), Regents Park Community College (1.3 miles) and St Mark's Church of England School (1.4 miles).
Upper Shirley High SchoolCantell SchoolRegents Park Community CollegeSt Mark's Church of England School
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from February 2020, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Hollybrook Infant is an inclusive school where every child feels they belong and are valued. Children develop excellent reading and writing skills through skilled teaching and high-quality interactions with staff. The school goes beyond the classroom to build essential life skills through meaningful enrichment activities, responsibility roles and a strong focus on emotional wellbeing and character development.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading culture with ambitious texts and precise phonics teaching that helps pupils become confident, fluent readers
- Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum ensuring pupils including those with SEND achieve well across subjects
- Excellent pupil behaviour, attendance and strong nurturing relationships between staff and pupils
- Effective support for pupils' emotional wellbeing and personal development with focus on resilience and character traits
- Wide range of enrichment opportunities including trips, clubs (choir, dance, karate) and leadership roles
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistencies in how curriculum is delivered mean pupils' learning across subjects is sometimes variable
- Staff explanations and activities occasionally don't link closely enough to intended curriculum, preventing pupils from deepening their knowledge as well as they should
- School should ensure staff have the knowledge and skills to select appropriate activities and explain subject content effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, dance, karate, well-being champions, Leadership Awards, visits to local zoos and gardens
Hollybrook Infant School is an effective school with very high expectations where children get off to a great start in the early years and achieve well as they move through key stage 1. The school has maintained the standards from its previous 'good' rating and continues to prioritize inclusivity and strong pupil wellbeing.
At a Glance
16.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
35 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
26.8
Avg class size
26.8
Infant (KS1)
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Hollybrook Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Hollybrook Infant School.
- Choice Childcare Breakfast Club800m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Hollybrook Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Hollybrook Infant School is in Southampton; for families living there:
Apply to Southampton for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 49
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 12 serious and 35 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 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 Hollybrook Infant School
Will you get a place at Hollybrook Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Hollybrook Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Hollybrook Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Hollybrook Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Southampton, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Hollybrook Infant School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Southampton 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
93%
Near capacity
168 pupils
180 places
12 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Southampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southampton
Across Southampton council
Places available
2,745
Applications
2,122
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Southampton council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
11.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
160
Total Pupils
68
Boys
92
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
14.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,498
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,565
Per pupil
£1073k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
7.8%
Persistent absence
128
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 Hollybrook Infant School
What is Hollybrook Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Hollybrook Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2020, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Hollybrook Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Hollybrook Infant School is oversubscribed, Southampton allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Hollybrook Infant School?
Hollybrook Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Hollybrook Infant School?
Classes at Hollybrook Infant School average 26.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Hollybrook Infant School?
Hollybrook Infant School has around 160 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Hollybrook Infant School?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Hollybrook Infant School in 2024/25. 7.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Hollybrook Infant School?
Apply through Southampton's coordinated admissions process, naming Hollybrook 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 Hollybrook Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Hollybrook Infant School: Choice Childcare Breakfast Club (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 Hollybrook Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 49 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 12 serious and 35 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Southampton is 33 (the median across 87 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Hollybrook Infant School?
Hollybrook Infant School is at Hollybrook Infant School, Seagarth Close, Southampton, Hampshire, SO16 6RN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)