Damers First School, Dorchester
Damers First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 9 in Dorchester, part of Wessex Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. It was 80% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
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
Damers First School in detail
Damers First School in its own words
In its own words: "At Damers First School we strive to nurture an inclusive community of respectful, collaborative learners who are encouraged to constantly achieve their very best."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Damers First School
For September 2026 entry, 68 families put Damers First School as their first choice and 158 named it as one of their preferences, for 75 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Damers First School are The Prince of Wales School (0.8 miles, Good); St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster (1.2 miles); St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester (1.5 miles, Good); and Manor Park Church of England First School (1.6 miles).
The Prince of Wales SchoolSt Mary's Church of England First School, CharminsterSt Mary's Catholic First School, DorchesterManor Park Church of England First School
The trust
Damers First School is one of 12 schools run by Wessex Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
93 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Damers First School (as of September 2025): 93% 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 is happy at the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (65%).
Who goes there
In 2026, 105 pupils (22.1%) received SEN support and 33 (6.9%) 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 speech, language and communication needs.
Damers First School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dorchester West Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Peverill Avenue East (se-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 74 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. 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, Damers First School issued 2 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Damers First School are The Thomas Hardye School (0.6 miles), Dorchester Middle School (0.8 miles) and St Osmund's Church of England Middle School (1.5 miles).
The Thomas Hardye SchoolDorchester Middle SchoolSt Osmund's Church of England Middle School
Sources: 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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 October 2017, 9 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 February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Damers First School creates a caring, inclusive community where children love coming to school and are eager to learn. The school teaches reading exceptionally well and provides ambitious, broad learning experiences that help pupils understand the world around them. Staff have high expectations of all pupils, including those with additional needs, and support them to be successful and active citizens in their school community.
Key Strengths
- Clear curriculum design with well-sequenced knowledge and vocabulary that builds on prior learning
- Strong phonics teaching and promotion of reading through engaging library spaces
- Ambitious support for pupils with SEND through bespoke adaptations and the 'Copper Base' provision
- Warm staff-pupil relationships that make pupils feel secure and well looked after
- Integration of wider learning through sustainability and community focus, with pupils taking active roles as school councillors and junior governors
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment checks do not always accurately identify gaps in learning (such as letter formation), so some pupils do not secure important knowledge quickly enough
- Curriculum adjustments for pupils with SEND are not always precise enough to support their learning effectively
- Some pupils build knowledge less securely due to checks not leading to curriculum changes when gaps are identified
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff building warm relationships so pupils feel confident raising worries and concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Museum trip (Second World War learning), school council, junior governors, play equipment provision, heart space library
Damers First School has maintained the good standards from its previous inspection. The school is built on its values of being 'brave, unique, caring and kind', creating an inclusive and happy learning environment where pupils are enthusiastic learners with high attendance.
At a Glance
19.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Other
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
93 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
10
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Damers First School
From Damers First School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Damers First School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Damers First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Damers First 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
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was 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 Damers First School
Will you get a place at Damers First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Damers First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Damers First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Damers First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Damers First School for 2020 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
80%
Available places
479 pupils
600 places
121 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dorchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dorchester
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(2)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
105
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
29.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Damers First School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
475
Total Pupils
237
Boys
238
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
28
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,791
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,141
Per pupil
£2766k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
8.6%
Persistent absence
407
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
Questions parents ask about Damers First School
What is Damers First School's Ofsted rating?
Damers First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Damers First School?
No fixed boundary. When Damers First 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 Damers First School?
Damers First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 600 places.
How big are the classes at Damers First School?
Classes at Damers First School average 29.7 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 Damers First School?
Damers First School has around 475 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Damers First School have specialist SEN provision?
Damers First School has a resourced provision for other difficulties or disabilities: 10 places, 10 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Damers First School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Damers First School in 2024/25. 8.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Damers First School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Damers First 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.
How many road collisions happen near Damers First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was 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 Damers First School?
Damers First School is at Liscombe Street, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3DF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)