School profile

Merton Infant School and Nursery

Primary · Community school · Basingstoke, RG24 9HB

Good

Map showing Merton Infant School and Nursery

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

Merton Infant School and Nursery Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 8 Jul 2025

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages2 to 7
Pupils216
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Larissa James
Local authorityHampshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 116004.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils216
Girls95
Boys121
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.16.2%
First language not English38%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.180
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.172
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.4.4%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.34
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.12
Average class size28.7

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
55.1%
Other White
10.6%
Other Asian
7.9%
African
7.9%
Indian
6.5%
White and Black African
2.3%
Other ethnic group
2.3%
Pakistani
1.9%
White and Black Caribbean
1.4%
Other mixed
1.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher28.2
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.6
Teachers (FTE)7
Teaching assistants (FTE)9.97
Support staff (FTE)17.41
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/257
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/257
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/250

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.46
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.119
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.36
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.36
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolHampshireEngland
Overall absence5%, similar to England, worse than Hampshire4.5%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.16.1%, worse than England, worse than Hampshire10.4%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.6%, worse than England, worse than Hampshire0.9%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.9%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Merton Infant School and Nursery
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miPrimaryMerton Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.3 miPrimarySt Bede's Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.3 miSecondaryEverest Community AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.4 miPrimaryOakridge Infant SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding
0.4 miPrimaryOakridge Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miSecondaryThe Vyne Community SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
0.7 miPrimarySouth View Infant and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimarySouth View Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.7 miPrimaryMarnel Junior SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Outstanding
0.7 miPrimaryMarnel Community Infant SchoolCommunity school
Outstanding

Frequently asked questions about Merton Infant School and Nursery

What is Merton Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

Merton Infant School and Nursery is rated Good, last inspected on 8 Jul 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How hard is it to get into Merton Infant School and Nursery?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Merton Infant School and Nursery made 46 offers from 119 applications (2.6 per offer), and 36 of 36 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Merton Infant School and Nursery?

Merton Infant School and Nursery has 216 pupils aged 2 to 7.

What is the capacity of Merton Infant School and Nursery?

Merton Infant School and Nursery had 180 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Merton Infant School and Nursery?

At Merton Infant School and Nursery, the average class had 28.7 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 28.2 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Merton Infant School and Nursery?

In 2025/26, pupils at Merton Infant School and Nursery missed 5% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 16.1% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.