Canford Heath Infant School
Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, BH17 8PJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- TEACH POOLE
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Laurin Palmer
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 367
- URN
- 141762
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202380015
About this school
Canford Heath Infant School is a primary academy in Poole. It teaches children aged 4 to 7 and has 367 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Canford Heath 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Canford Heath 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 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 359 |
| 2023/24 | 359 |
| 2024/25 | 358 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Canford Heath Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4% | 10.9% | 367 | — |
| Canford Heath Junior School | 71% | 4.6% | 20.7% | 489 | 0.0 miles |
| Stanley Green Infant Academy | — | 4.9% | 20.7% | 213 | 0.5 miles |
| Haymoor Junior School | 64% | 5% | 28.1% | 349 | 0.6 miles |
| Ad Astra Infant School | — | 4.8% | 20.6% | 257 | 0.8 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole | 58% | 4.4% | 11.5% | 379 | 0.8 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)
- 10.89%
- English as an additional language
- 6.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.01%
- Persistent absence
- 7.66%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Canford Heath Junior School0.0 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Stanley Green Infant Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Haymoor Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Ad Astra Infant School0.8 miles
Primary · Poole
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Poole0.8 miles
Primary · Poole
Other schools in Poole
- Ad Astra Infant School Primary
- 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 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 ages does Canford Heath Infant School teach?
- Canford Heath Infant School teaches children aged 4 to 7. It is a primary school in Poole.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Canford Heath Infant School?
- The executive headteacher of Canford Heath Infant School is Mrs Laurin Palmer, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Canford Heath Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Canford Heath 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 Canford Heath Infant School?
- Canford Heath Infant School has 367 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 7.
- Is Canford Heath Infant School full?
- Canford Heath Infant School has capacity for 360 pupils and 367 on roll (102%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Canford Heath Infant School a faith school?
- No. Canford Heath Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does Canford Heath Infant School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Canford Heath Infant School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Canford Heath Infant School part of an academy trust?
- Canford Heath 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 SEN provision does Canford Heath Infant School have?
- The schools register lists Canford Heath Infant School's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Canford Heath Infant School's absence rate?
- Canford Heath Infant School's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Canford Heath 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 Canford Heath 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.