Dunbury Church of England Academy, Winterborne Whitechurch
Dunbury Church of England Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Winterborne Whitechurch, part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 65th-highest of the 89 schools in Dorset with published results, and 12,107th of 14,452 across England. It was 52% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than 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
Dunbury Church of England Academy in detail
Dunbury Church of England Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Dunbury Academy is a very special place. We are a small primary school, serving the villages of the Winterborne Stickland, Winterborne Whitechurch, Winterborne Kingston, Milton Abbas and the surrounding area."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football and chess.
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils at Dunbury Church of England Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 55% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 92% in reading and 67% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Dunbury Church of England Academy
For September 2026 entry, 9 families put Dunbury Church of England Academy as their first choice and 15 named it as one of their preferences, for 10 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Dunbury Church of England Academy are Milborne St Andrew First School (2.7 miles, Good); Bere Regis Primary and Preschool (3.5 miles, Requires improvement, 91% reading, 64% maths); Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School (4.5 miles, Good, 77% reading, 83% maths); and Cheselbourne Village School (4.7 miles, Good).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Dunbury Church of England Academy.
Milborne St Andrew First SchoolBere Regis Primary and PreschoolBlandford St Mary Church of England Primary SchoolCheselbourne Village School
The trust
Dunbury Church of England Academy 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
12.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 16 pupils (12.2%) received SEN support and 4 (3.1%) 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.
Staffing
Dunbury Church of England Academy had 9 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Dunbury Church of England Academy.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dunbury School (se-bound), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 3 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
Suspensions and exclusions
Dunbury Church of England 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; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
12.2%
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 declined from 92% to 73% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 67% to 55% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 92% to 82% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.4
Avg class size
22.5
Infant (KS1)
19.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Dunbury Church of England Academy
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Dunbury Church of England Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Dunbury Church of England 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
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy
Will you get a place at Dunbury Church of England Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Dunbury Church of England Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Dunbury Church of England Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Dunbury Church of England Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Dunbury Church of England Academy for 2015 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
52%
Available places
110 pupils
210 places
100 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Winterborne Whitechurch
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Winterborne Whitechurch
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)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
16
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
15.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
131
Total Pupils
64
Boys
67
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,602
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,808
Per pupil
£849k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
7.2%
Persistent absence
111
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Dunbury Church of England Academy
What are SATs results like at Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Of the pupils at Dunbury Church of England Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 73% reached the expected standard in reading and 55% did so in maths.
What is Dunbury Church of England Academy's Ofsted rating?
Dunbury Church of England Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Dunbury Church of England Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Dunbury Church of England 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Dunbury Church of England Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 52% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Classes at Dunbury Church of England Academy average 16.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Dunbury Church of England Academy has around 131 pupils on roll. 12% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Dunbury Church of England Academy?
3.6% of sessions were missed at Dunbury Church of England Academy in 2024/25. 7.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Dunbury Church of England 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy?
Dunbury Church of England Academy is at Dolway Lane, Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset, DT11 0AW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)