Manor Park Church of England First School, Dorchester

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades Manor Park Church of England First School on 7 areas: 7 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Expected standard. "On the whole, pupils are confident and ready to take on the challenges of the next stage of their education."

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Leaders prioritise pupils' attendance."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have prioritised early reading and phonics."

Early years - Expected standard. "Children in the early years learn well and build secure foundations."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders have created an inclusive ethos where pupils feel they belong."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "The school has been on a successful journey of improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have recently introduced an ambitious new personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum which includes relationships education."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should ensure that the graduated approach to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is applied consistently and its impact evaluated. • Leaders should ensure that any gaps in foundational knowledge in mathematics, particularly in multiplication tables, are addressed before pupils leave the school. • Leaders should continue their work to secure consistently high attendance for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Of course, there is no substitute for seeing us first-hand, so if you are interested in joining us, please do contact us and we'll arrange to show you what we are all about. Manor Park First School is in the heart of Dorchester."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, basketball, choir, coding, Lego and art.

The school runs after-school care.

Coming up: an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026 and an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

For September 2026 entry, 54 families put Manor Park Church of England First School as their first choice and 114 named it as one of their preferences, for 57 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to Manor Park Church of England First School are St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester (0.3 miles, Good); The Prince of Wales School (1.1 miles, Good); Damers First School (1.6 miles, Good); and St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster (2.3 miles).

Manor Park Church of England 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.

84 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Manor Park Church of England First School (as of April 2026): 86% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (91%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).

In 2026, 77 pupils (19.4%) received SEN support and 9 (2.3%) 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.

The nearest railway station is Dorchester South Rail Station, about 790 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Manor Park First School (e-bound), 50 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Manor Park Church of England First School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 97 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Manor Park Church of England First School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Manor Park Church of England First School are St Osmund's Church of England Middle School (0.1 miles), Dorchester Middle School (0.9 miles), The Thomas Hardye School (1.1 miles) and Dorset Studio School (1.4 miles).