- Ofsted:Outstanding
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
31 first choices, 29 offers made
Met the standard at 1190%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 245
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.9
Primary schools in Dorset
All 156 primary schools in Dorset. Narrow them down, then shortlist up to four to compare.
- Ofsted:Good or better
- Church of England
Results below the Dorset average, low absence.
17 first choices, 15 offers made
Met the standard at 1153%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 104
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.8
All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Sherborne, DT9 5NQ · Academy · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
13 first choices, 13 offers made
Met the standard at 11100%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 130
- Pupils per teacher
- 25.5
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
27 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 187
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.2
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
25 first choices, 20 offers made
Met the standard at 1195%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 143
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.3
Pimperne Church of England VC Primary School
Blandford Forum, DT11 8WF · Academy · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results above the Dorset average, low absence.
16 first choices, 19 offers made
Met the standard at 1163%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 183
- Pupils per teacher
- 18.3
Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Bridport, DT6 6HD · State · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
- Ofsted:Good or better
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
13 first choices, 14 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 107
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.7
- Ofsted:Good
Results well above the Dorset average.
Met the standard at 1176%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 4.9%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 436
- Pupils per teacher
- 20.5
Durweston Church of England Primary School
Blandford Forum, DT11 0QA · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Strong standard in every area
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average, high absence.
15 first choices, 15 offers made
Met the standard at 1180%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 144
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.2
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School
Dorchester, DT2 7BY · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Expected standard in every area
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
10 first choices, 10 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 110
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.8
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Weymouth, DT3 5DQ · Academy · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
- Ofsted:Good or better
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
38 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 213
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.7
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
21 first choices, 21 offers made
Met the standard at 1165%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 188
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.4
- Ofsted:Good
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average.
65 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1168%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 5.3%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 484
- Pupils per teacher
- 26.2
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School
Gillingham, SP8 4GG · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results close to the Dorset average, low absence.
26 first choices, 26 offers made
Met the standard at 1159%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 242
- Pupils per teacher
- 27.2
- Ofsted:Good in every area
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results below the Dorset average, low absence.
20 first choices, 20 offers made
Met the standard at 1153%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 142
- Pupils per teacher
- 23.8
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School
Blandford Forum, DT11 9QD · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average.
33 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 5.1%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 208
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.9
Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Beaminster, DT8 3JQ · State · Primary · Ages 4 to 11
- Ofsted:Expected standard in every area
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
16 first choices, 16 offers made
Met the standard at 1171%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 132
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.4
- Ofsted:Good
- Has a nursery
Results above the Dorset average, low absence.
16 first choices, 15 offers made
Met the standard at 1161%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 114
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.7
- Ofsted:Good in every area
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average.
13 first choices, 14 offers made
Met the standard at 1180%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 6.1%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 101
- Pupils per teacher
- 20.1
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results well above the Dorset average.
Met the standard at 1165%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 5.3%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 434
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.5
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull
Sturminster Newton, DT10 1JX · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Catholic
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average.
6 first choices, 6 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 5.7%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 82
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.8
Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery
Weymouth, DT4 9QX · State · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average.
48 first choices, 49 offers made
Met the standard at 1172%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 5.5%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 471
- Pupils per teacher
- 19.8
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
Results close to the Dorset average.
25 first choices, 25 offers made
Met the standard at 1156%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- 4.9%Dorset 5.8%
- Pupils
- 195
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.2
St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers
Swanage, BH19 3HB · Academy · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
- Ofsted:Good
- Church of England
- Has a nursery
Results well above the Dorset average, low absence.
11 first choices, 11 offers made
Met the standard at 1167%
Dorset 57%England 62%
- Days missed
- Pupils
- 85
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.3
- Primary schools156including 11 special
- Met the standard at 1157.0%
- Good or Outstanding90%of graded schools ·
- Faith schools92 of 1567 Catholic, 82 Church of England
- With a nursery class61take children from 2 or 3
- Free school meals19.8%of pupils get them
The big picture
How Dorset's primary schools spread out
Each dot is one school. Hover over a dot to see which school it is.
Met the expected standard at 11
Share of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected level in reading, writing and maths.
Days missed
Share of school sessions pupils missed, for any reason. Lower is better.
Ofsted grades in Dorset
The last full grade for each school Ofsted has graded. 68 newer or converted schools don't have a grade yet.
- Outstanding: 3 of 88
- Good: 76 of 88
- Requires improvement: 9 of 88
- Inadequate: 0 of 88
Before you apply
Four things worth knowing in Dorset
Half or more are faith schools.
92 of the 156 primary schools in Dorset have a religious character. When they're full, they can put families of their faith first, so check each school's rules.
Show schools with no religious characterA nursery place isn't a Reception place.
61 schools take children from age 2 or 3. You still need to apply for Reception, even if your child is already in the school's nursery.
Show schools with a nurseryApply by 15 January.
Apply to your council for a Reception place starting in September. Offers come out on 16 April.
Check how old the Ofsted grade is.
Some grades are many years old. Each school's page shows the date of its last inspection and what's changed since.
Show Good or Outstanding
About these schools
Primary schools in Dorset, explained
There are 156 primary schools in Dorset, teaching 30,989 children. 32 are run by the council and 100 are academies or free schools. Among them are 11 special and 17 independent schools.
90% of the mainstream state schools Ofsted has graded are Good or Outstanding, against 94.8% across England. 3 of them are Outstanding, though some grades are several years old, so check the date on each school's page.
57.0% of pupils in Dorset met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at 11, against 62% across England. The gap between schools is wide, from 0% to 100%, which is why it's worth looking school by school.
19.8% of pupils get free school meals. Schools here spend £7,678 a year on each pupil, against £8,120 across England. 14.1% of pupils are persistently absent, missing one day in ten or more, against 18.1% across England.
Looking further afield? See primary schools near me, or everything in Dorset.
Explore
Primary schools near meLook closer to home
Pick an area to see its primary schools, or browse other kinds of school in and around Dorset.
- Weymouth16 primary schools
- Wimborne Minster8 primary schools
- Dorchester7 primary schools
- Blandford Forum4 primary schools
- Sherborne4 primary schools
- Verwood4 primary schools
- Ashley Heath3 primary schools
- Bridport3 primary schools
- Corfe Mullen3 primary schools
- Gillingham (Dorset)3 primary schools
- Upton3 primary schools
- West Moors3 primary schools
- Wool3 primary schools
- Ferndown2 primary schools
- Shaftesbury2 primary schools
Other schools in Dorset
Primary schools nearby
All schools in Dorset
Questions
Questions parents ask
How many primary schools are in Dorset?
There are 156 primary schools in Dorset, including state-funded, academies, and independent schools.
What are the best primary schools in Dorset?
The highest-ranked primary schools in Dorset on Eduscope are St Ives Primary & Nursery School, Thornford CofE Primary School and All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance.
How many Ofsted Outstanding primary schools are in Dorset?
Dorset has 3 primary schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted. A further 76 are rated Good, meaning 90% of inspected schools hold a Good or Outstanding rating.
How are primary schools in Dorset ranked on Eduscope?
Each state school gets a rank score out of 100. We place each measure as a percentile among state schools of the same phase across England, then weight them. Primary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 30%, pupils meeting the expected standard at Key Stage 2 30%, pupils reaching the higher standard 10%, persistent absence (lower is better) 20%, average reading and maths scores 10%. Secondary schools: latest Ofsted inspection 25%, Attainment 8 25%, grade 5 or above in English and maths 15%, persistent absence (lower is better) 15%, pupils staying in education or work after GCSEs 10%, A level average points (sixth forms only) 10%. Results are averaged over up to three years, and an Ofsted grade older than five years counts for less. A school needs data for at least 60% of the weights. Special schools, pupil referral units, nurseries, independent schools and 16 to 19 schools aren't ranked, and are listed by Ofsted grade and name. Our methodology page explains more.
How do primary schools in Dorset perform at Key Stage 2?
Across primary schools in Dorset, 57% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This figure is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
What is the average class size in Dorset primary schools?
The average pupil-teacher ratio across primary schools in Dorset is 20:1. While this is not a direct measure of class size, it indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil.
How do I choose a primary school in Dorset?
When choosing a primary school in Dorset, consider Ofsted ratings, Key Stage 2 results, distance from home, school size, and whether the school offers wrap-around care. You can compare all 156 primary schools on Eduscope using filters for school type, gender, religious character, and more.
Sources: Department for Education school performance tables, school census and workforce data, Get Information About Schools and Ofsted. Distances are straight-line estimates.