Ad Astra Infant School
Sherborn Crescent, Canford Heath, Poole, BH17 8AP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- TEACH POOLE
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Clare Tantrum
- Constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 270
- Pupils on roll
- 257
- URN
- 141755
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202602113
About this school
Ad Astra Infant School is a primary academy in Poole. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 257 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How Ad Astra 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 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 266 |
| 2023/24 | 258 |
| 2024/25 | 253 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ad Astra Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.8% | 20.6% | 257 | — |
| Haymoor Junior School | 64% | 5% | 28.1% | 349 | 0.2 miles |
| Canford Heath Infant School | — | 4% | 10.9% | 367 | 0.8 miles |
| Canford Heath Junior School | 71% | 4.6% | 20.7% | 489 | 0.8 miles |
| Hillbourne Primary School | 70% | 5.2% | 41.2% | 204 | 1.2 miles |
| Stanley Green Infant Academy | — | 4.9% | 20.7% | 213 | 1.3 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 20.55%
- English as an additional language
- 13%
- Overall absence
- 4.77%
- Persistent absence
- 8.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Haymoor Junior School0.2 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Canford Heath Infant School0.8 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Canford Heath Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Hillbourne Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Stanley Green Infant Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Poole
Other schools in Poole
- Baden-Powell and St Peter's Church of England Junior School Primary
- Bayside Academy Primary
- Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Canford Heath Infant School Primary
- Canford Heath Junior School Primary
- Courthill Infant School Primary
- Hamworthy Park Junior School Primary
- Haymoor Junior School Primary
- Heatherlands Primary School Primary
- Hillbourne Primary School Primary
- Lilliput Church of England Infant School Primary
- Livingstone Road Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Ad Astra Infant School teach?
- Ad Astra Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Poole.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Ad Astra Infant School?
- The executive headteacher of Ad Astra Infant School is Mrs Clare Tantrum, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Ad Astra Infant School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ad Astra 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 big is Ad Astra Infant School?
- Ad Astra Infant School has 257 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Ad Astra Infant School full?
- Ad Astra Infant School has capacity for 270 pupils and 257 on roll (95%), 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 Ad Astra Infant School a faith school?
- No. Ad Astra Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Ad Astra Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ad Astra Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Ad Astra Infant School?
- Ad Astra Infant School is part of TEACH POOLE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Ad Astra Infant School's absence rate?
- Ad Astra Infant School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Ad Astra 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 Ad Astra 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 15 July 2026.