Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School, Weymouth
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Weymouth, part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 2nd-highest of the 13 schools in Weymouth with published results, and 1,455th of 14,452 across England. It was 90% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
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.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School in detail
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "At Beechcroft St Paul's, we believe that every child has the potential to soar. Guided by our vision, Soaring With Compassion , we are committed to nurturing not only bright minds but also kind hearts. Our school is a place where children are encouraged to dream big, care deeply, and grow into thoughtful, resilient individuals."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 97% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 12 families put Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School as their first choice and 37 named it as one of their preferences, for 14 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School are Conifers Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 78% maths); St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Weymouth (0.7 miles, Good, 55% reading, 62% maths); Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery (0.9 miles, Good, 83% reading, 87% maths); and Southill Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 73% reading, 61% maths).
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Conifers Primary SchoolSt Augustine's Catholic Primary School, WeymouthHoly Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community NurserySouthill Primary School
The trust
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is one of 28 schools run by Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
48.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 41 pupils (21.7%) received SEN support and 20 (10.6%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School had 15 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Weymouth Rail Station, about 990 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Links Road (nw-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 439 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School are Budmouth Academy Weymouth (1.1 miles) and All Saints' Church of England Academy (1.3 miles).
Budmouth Academy WeymouthAll Saints' Church of England Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has made real efforts to help every child learn to read well, using special books and careful checking to spot when pupils need extra help. The early years team builds children's speaking and communication skills carefully from the start. The whole school has worked together to improve behaviour, and pupils now concentrate well in lessons and behave respectfully around the school.
Key Strengths
- Reading support has been significantly strengthened with phonetically decodable books helping pupils build fluency earlier - assessment is used well to help struggling readers catch up
- Early years curriculum has been developed to build children's core knowledge, personal development and communication skills
- Behaviour expectations are now high and consistently met by pupils, with marked improvements in classroom conduct and incidents outside lessons
- Trust and governors provide strong support - subject leaders rigorously check curriculum implementation and staff receive beneficial training to identify and help struggling pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils who have mastered their learning are not given the opportunity to move on and progress further
- Attendance remains below national expectations despite action being taken to improve it
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School has made progress since its previous inspection in March 2024, with a new leadership team focusing on improving education quality. However, some aspects of the school still need further improvement.
At a Glance
48.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 81% to 97% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
19.3
Avg class size
22.3
Infant (KS1)
25.8
KS2
9
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
Before and after school care
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Dorset
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is in Dorset; for families living there:
Apply to Dorset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
Will you get a place at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dorset got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
90%
Near capacity
190 pupils
210 places
20 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Weymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Weymouth
Across Dorset council
Places available
3,692
Applications
2,795
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
41
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
32.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
189
Total Pupils
97
Boys
92
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
12.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,641
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,042
Per pupil
£1376k
Total funding
£144k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.8%
Overall absence
25.9%
Persistent absence
174
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
Questions parents ask about Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
What are SATs results like at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Of the pupils at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 97% did so in maths.
What is Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 90% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Classes at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School average 19.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School has around 189 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
9.8% of sessions were missed at Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School in 2024/25. 25.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school.
How many road collisions happen near Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 12 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School?
Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School is at Corporation Road, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 0LQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)