Padnell Infant School
Padnell Avenue, Cowplain, Waterlooville, PO8 8DS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Mandy Grayson
- Constituency
- Fareham and Waterlooville
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 266
- URN
- 115965
- Local authority
- Hampshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02392263784
About this school
Padnell Infant School is a community primary school in Waterlooville. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 266 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Padnell Infant School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 29 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Padnell Infant School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 254 |
| 2023/24 | 267 |
| 2024/25 | 269 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Padnell Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.1% | 12.6% | 266 | — |
| Padnell Junior School | 72% | 3.2% | 18.3% | 360 | 0.1 miles |
| Queen's Inclosure Primary School | 64% | 3.6% | 11.1% | 414 | 0.4 miles |
| Hart Plain Infant School | — | 5.3% | 41.5% | 134 | 0.7 miles |
| Hart Plain Junior School | 47% | 5.3% | 48.8% | 179 | 0.8 miles |
| Woodcroft Primary | 39% | 8.2% | 63.5% | 203 | 0.9 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.64%
- English as an additional language
- 4.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.05%
- Persistent absence
- 3.78%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Padnell Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Waterlooville
-
Queen's Inclosure Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Waterlooville
-
Hart Plain Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Hants
-
Hart Plain Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Waterlooville
-
Woodcroft Primary0.9 miles
Primary · Waterlooville
Other schools in Waterlooville
- Berewood Primary School Primary
- Catherington Church of England Infant School Primary
- Clanfield Junior School Primary
- Denmead Infant School Primary
- Denmead Junior School Primary
- Hambledon Primary School Primary
- Hart Plain Junior School Primary
- Horndean Church of England Junior School Primary
- Horndean Infant School Primary
- Mill Hill Primary School Primary
- Morelands Primary School Primary
- Newlands Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Padnell Infant School teach?
- Padnell Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Waterlooville.
- Who is the headteacher of Padnell Infant School?
- The headteacher of Padnell Infant School is Mrs Mandy Grayson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Padnell Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Padnell Infant School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Padnell Infant School?
- Padnell Infant School has 266 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Padnell Infant School full?
- Padnell Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 266 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Padnell Infant School a faith school?
- No. Padnell Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Padnell Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Padnell Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- What is Padnell Infant School's absence rate?
- Padnell Infant School's overall absence rate is 3.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Padnell Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Padnell Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.