Chickerell Primary Academy, Weymouth
Chickerell Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Weymouth, part of The First Federation Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 13 schools in Weymouth with published results, and 9,159th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Chickerell Primary Academy in detail
Chickerell Primary Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am really proud to be the Headteacher of our school - it is an exciting, challenging place to work and an exciting, challenging place to learn ."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, drama, robotics, cooking and knitting.
The school runs a breakfast club from 9:00am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026 at 10.30am and an open day on Wednesday 2 December 2026 at 1.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Dorset
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at Chickerell Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 68% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Chickerell Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 42 families put Chickerell Primary Academy as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 51 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 Chickerell Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Chickerell Primary Academy are Conifers Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 82% reading, 78% maths); Southill Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 73% reading, 61% maths); Radipole Primary School (1.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 81% maths); and Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School (1.5 miles, Requires improvement, 84% reading, 97% maths).
Chickerell Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Conifers Primary SchoolSouthill Primary SchoolRadipole Primary SchoolBeechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School
The trust
Chickerell Primary Academy is one of 29 schools run by The First Federation Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
98 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Chickerell Primary Academy (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 65% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child does well at the school (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Who goes there
1.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Weymouth Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Willowbed Hall (n-bound), 180 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Chickerell Primary Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2018, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Chickerell Primary Academy creates a nurturing environment where every child is valued and supported. Staff have high expectations and provide excellent pastoral care, including dedicated mental health support, which helps pupils feel confident and ready to learn. The school offers a rich curriculum with ambitious teaching alongside wonderful opportunities like kickboxing, circus skills and coding to develop children's interests and talents.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with early intervention to help struggling readers catch up quickly
- Excellent pastoral support and mental health provision, with dedicated support from mental health specialists
- Rich extracurricular and personal development opportunities that build leadership and perseverance skills
- High-quality early years provision that prepares children well for Year 1
- Positive behaviour culture and strong relationships between staff and pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Too many pupils do not attend school regularly, which creates gaps in their knowledge and impacts learning
- Systems to check whether pupils remember and understand what they have learned are not securely in place
- Some knowledge gaps are not identified and addressed quickly enough as a result
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff taking action promptly when pupils share concerns through the school's letter box system.
Extracurricular Activities
Kickboxing, circus skills, computer coding, Junior Dukes Award, Young Apprentice Club, roles such as equality ambassadors and house captains, breakfast and after-school clubs
Chickerell Primary Academy has successfully maintained its good standards since the previous inspection in 2018. The school is built on the principle that 'every child matters, so every day counts' and provides high-quality pastoral support alongside ambitious teaching.
At a Glance
21.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
98 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 68% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 63% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 63% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.8
Avg class size
25.5
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
16
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Chickerell Primary Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Chickerell Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Chickerell Primary Academy 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
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
3 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 Chickerell Primary Academy
Will you get a place at Chickerell Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Chickerell Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Chickerell Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Chickerell Primary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Chickerell Primary Academy for 2014 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
99%
Near capacity
414 pupils
417 places
3 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(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
15.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
420
Total Pupils
209
Boys
211
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
21.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,384
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,988
Per pupil
£2312k
Total funding
£153k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.9%
Overall absence
15.8%
Persistent absence
385
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
Chickerell Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about Chickerell Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at Chickerell Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at Chickerell Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 68% did so in maths.
What is Chickerell Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
Chickerell Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Chickerell Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Chickerell Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Chickerell Primary Academy?
Chickerell Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Chickerell Primary Academy?
Classes at Chickerell Primary Academy average 25.8 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Chickerell Primary Academy?
Chickerell Primary Academy has around 420 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Chickerell Primary Academy?
5.9% of sessions were missed at Chickerell Primary Academy in 2024/25. 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Chickerell Primary Academy?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Chickerell Primary Academy 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.
How many road collisions happen near Chickerell Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 3 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 Chickerell Primary Academy?
Chickerell Primary Academy is at Rashley Road, Chickerell, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 4AT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)