Padnell Infant School, Waterlooville
Padnell Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Waterlooville. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2023 did not change this grade. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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 27 Oct 2026
Padnell Infant School in detail
Padnell Infant School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a friendly, welcoming and caring school serving the community of Cowplain and Waterlooville. We believe in providing our children with a rich and varied educational experience that ignites their thirst of knowledge, enables them to grow into confident and caring citizens and provides them with the life skills they will need for the future."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care until 5:50pm.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Padnell Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Padnell Infant School as their first choice and 152 named it as one of their preferences, for 86 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 Padnell Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Padnell Infant School are Padnell Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 86% maths); Queen's Inclosure Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 79% reading, 81% maths); Hart Plain Infant School (0.7 miles, Good); and Hart Plain Junior School (0.8 miles, Good, 65% reading, 61% maths).
Padnell Junior SchoolQueen's Inclosure Primary SchoolHart Plain Infant SchoolHart Plain Junior School
What parents say
46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Padnell Infant School (as of April 2026): 98% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 0% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (0%).
Who goes there
9.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 31 pupils (11.7%) received SEN support and 6 (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.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Rowlands Castle Rail Station, about 2.5 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hazleton Way (w-bound), 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 128 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, public order offences and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hampshire (72), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Padnell Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Padnell Infant School are The Cowplain School (0.5 miles) and Horndean Technology College (1.4 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from July 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its July 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
9.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
46 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at April 2026 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
29.4
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Padnell Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Padnell Infant School.
- CM Sports After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- EdActive Wraparound - Waterlooville690m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Padnell Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Padnell 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
- 21
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 14 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
0 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 Padnell Infant School
Will you get a place at Padnell Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Padnell Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Padnell Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Padnell 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 Padnell 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
99%
Near capacity
269 pupils
270 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Waterlooville
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Waterlooville
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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
31
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
13.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
266
Total Pupils
152
Boys
114
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
17.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,340
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,176
Per pupil
£1557k
Total funding
£47k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.1%
Overall absence
3.8%
Persistent absence
185
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
Padnell Infant School
Questions parents ask about Padnell Infant School
What is Padnell Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Padnell Infant School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Padnell Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Padnell 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 Padnell Infant School?
Padnell Infant School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Padnell Infant School?
Classes at Padnell Infant School average 29.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Padnell Infant School?
Padnell Infant School has around 266 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Padnell Infant School?
3.1% of sessions were missed at Padnell Infant School in 2024/25. 3.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Padnell Infant School?
Apply through Hampshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Padnell 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 Padnell Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: CM Sports After School Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Padnell Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 6 serious and 14 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 0 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 Padnell Infant School?
Padnell Infant School is at Padnell Avenue, Cowplain, Waterlooville, Hampshire, PO8 8DS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)