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Best Schools in Sherborne

Dorset · 14 schools ranked by Ofsted Rating

New inspection results and open days, weekly by email.

Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days

Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.

Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days

Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.

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Schools in Sherborne ranked

1

Thornford CofE Primary School

DT9 6QYAges 4-11104 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Outstanding
2

Trent Young's CofE Primary School

DT9 4SWAges 4-11143 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
3

The Gryphon School

DT9 4EQAges 11-181569 pupils
Secondary
Academy converter
Good
4

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas

DT9 6RHAges 4-1190 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
5

Sherborne Primary School

DT9 4AJAges 4-11304 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
6

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School

DT9 6LSAges 4-1199 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
7

Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School

DT9 6AQAges 4-11336 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
8

Charlton Horethorne Church of England Primary School

DT9 4NLAges 4-1149 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
Good
9

All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

DT9 5NQAges 4-11130 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
10

Leweston School

DT9 6ENAges 2-19577 pupils
All-through
Other independent school
11

Milborne Port Primary School

DT9 5EPAges 2-11169 pupils
Primary
Academy converter
12

Sherborne Preparatory School

DT9 3NYAges 3-14204 pupils
Independent
Other independent school
13

Sherborne School

DT9 3APAges 13-19538 pupils
Senior
Other independent school
14

Sherborne School for Girls

DT9 3QNAges 11-19456 pupils
Senior
Other independent school

Special schools and alternative provision in Sherborne

These schools serve pupils with particular needs, so they aren't ranked against mainstream schools on exam results. Places are usually arranged through the council, often via an Education, Health and Care plan.

Questions parents ask about schools in Sherborne

How many schools are there in Sherborne?

Sherborne has 15 open schools: 9 state primary, 2 state secondary or all-through and 4 independent.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Which schools in Sherborne are rated Outstanding?

1 school in Sherborne was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: Thornford CofE Primary School. Counting Good as well, 100% of the 9 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.

Thornford CofE Primary School

Source: Ofsted

Which primary schools in Sherborne have the best SATs results?

Of the 6 primary schools in Sherborne with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Trent Young's CofE Primary School (100% in reading, 100% in maths); Thornford CofE Primary School (67% in reading, 73% in maths); and St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas (63% in reading, 69% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.

Trent Young's CofE Primary SchoolThornford CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas

Source: DfE school performance data

Are there grammar schools in Sherborne?

No. None of the state secondary schools in Sherborne selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.

Source: DfE Get Information About Schools

Do schools in Sherborne have catchment areas?

Most state schools in Sherborne have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, the council allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.

How do I apply for a school place in Sherborne?

Apply to your council - Dorset or Somerset, depending on your address - through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.