Port Regis Preparatory School, Shaftesbury
Port Regis Preparatory School is an independent school for pupils aged 2 to 13 in Shaftesbury. It has a Church of England religious character. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2025.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Port Regis Preparatory School in detail
Port Regis Preparatory School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Founded in 1881, Port Regis is steeped in history and yet it remains a community that is, at its core, forward thinking and innovative in its approach to educating young children. Few other prep schools can provide the breadth of experience on offer at Port Regis."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, yoga, dance, ballet, drama, recorder, chess, gardening and forest school.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
In 2026, 58 pupils (19%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Gillingham (Dorset) Rail Station, about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted.
Routine Inspection
11 November 2025
Educational Quality / Focused Compliance
21 September 2022
Regulatory Compliance
16 May 2018
Integrated
17 June 2014
At a Glance
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Keep up with Port Regis Preparatory School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
68%
Available places
305 pupils
446 places
141 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Shaftesbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Shaftesbury
Across Dorset council
Places available
2,797
Applications
2,105
Got 1st preference
97.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All secondary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
58
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
19.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
305
Total Pupils
155
Boys
150
Girls
2026 academic year
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
Port Regis Preparatory School
Questions parents ask about Port Regis Preparatory School
When was Port Regis Preparatory School last inspected?
Port Regis Preparatory School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a routine inspection in November 2025.
How many pupils go to Port Regis Preparatory School?
Port Regis Preparatory School has around 305 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Port Regis Preparatory School?
Port Regis Preparatory School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Port Regis Preparatory School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 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 Port Regis Preparatory School?
Port Regis Preparatory School is at Motcombe Park, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 9QA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)