"infant school" means: A primary school, generally for children aged between four and seven.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
infant school
(UK) A primary school, generally for children aged between four and seven.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK) A primary school, generally for children aged between four and seven.
For parents
"infant school" means: A primary school, generally for children aged between four and seven.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
"infant school" means: A primary school, generally for children aged between four and seven.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (UK) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "infant school" (I)
infamousinfantinfanteerinfanteeringinfantierinfantsinfareinferenceinference arcinference checkinference codedinference core
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- infants78%
(UK, Australia) The section of a primary school for the education of younger children, typically the classes of reception or kindergarten and years (grades) one and two.
- junior school72%
A British English term for a primary school that caters to children roughly between the ages of seven and eleven — typically years three through six in the English school system. Junior school follows infant school and precedes secondary school, occupying the middle stretch of compulsory early education. While not slang in the traditional sense, it's a firmly regional term that confuses people used to American grade-school terminology and remains the everyday word British parents, teachers, and kids actually use.
- nursery school72%
(, Canada, British) An educational institution for small children (normally around 3 to 5 years old, who not yet have begun primary school).
- infant70%
(countable, chiefly, UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) A student in an infant school or the first part of a primary school.
- kindergarten69%
(North America, Australia, India) An educational institution for young children, usually between ages 4 and 6; nursery school.