Orchard Infant School, Southampton
Orchard Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Southampton, part of University of Winchester Academy Trust.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hampshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Orchard Infant School in detail
Getting a place at Orchard Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 88 families put Orchard Infant School as their first choice and 141 named it as one of their preferences, for 88 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 2 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Orchard Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Orchard Infant School are Orchard Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 70% reading, 80% maths); Wildground Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Wildground Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 85% reading, 83% maths); and Hythe Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 78% maths).
Orchard Junior SchoolWildground Infant SchoolWildground Junior SchoolHythe Primary School
The trust
Orchard Infant School is one of 8 schools run by University of Winchester Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
10.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Woolston Rail Station, about 3.1 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Mead (nw-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Orchard Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Orchard Infant School are Noadswood School (0.2 miles) and Applemore College (0.7 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
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
Orchard Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2025. Before that, as Orchard Infant School (URN 115977), it was rated Outstanding in March 2022.
At a Glance
10.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
30.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Orchard Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Orchard Infant School.
- ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Wildground Infant School930m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Orchard Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Orchard 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
6 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 Orchard Infant School
Will you get a place at Orchard Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Orchard Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Orchard Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Orchard 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 Orchard Infant School for 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
100%
Full
270 pupils
270 places
No spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Southampton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Southampton
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
33
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
15.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
270
Total Pupils
143
Boys
127
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
19.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,203
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Orchard Infant School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 115977). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
4.3%
Overall absence
6.6%
Persistent absence
182
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
Orchard Infant School
Questions parents ask about Orchard Infant School
What is Orchard Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Orchard Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in November 2025. Before that, as Orchard Infant School (URN 115977), it was rated Outstanding in March 2022.
What is the catchment area for Orchard Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Orchard Infant School is oversubscribed, Hampshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How big are the classes at Orchard Infant School?
Classes at Orchard Infant School average 30 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Orchard Infant School?
Orchard Infant School has around 270 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Orchard Infant School?
Apply through Hampshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Orchard 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 Orchard Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Orchard Infant School: ActiveMe 360 CIC @ Wildground Infant School (930m 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 Orchard Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 6 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 Orchard Infant School?
Orchard Infant School is at Water Lane, Dibden Purlieu, Southampton, Hampshire, SO45 4SB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)