Puddletown Church of England First School, Dorchester
Puddletown Church of England First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 9 in Dorchester, part of Wessex Multi Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 91% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- 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
Puddletown Church of England First School in detail
Puddletown Church of England First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome. We are proud of our school, its church heritage and the community we serve. We aim to inspire our children to learn and to see themselves as active learners with an infinite capacity to improve. We do this in a safe and caring environment based on Christian principles where progress is celebrated and community, creativity and kindness are valued."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Puddletown Church of England First School
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put Puddletown Church of England First School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Puddletown Church of England First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Puddletown Church of England First School are Frome Valley CofE First School (3.2 miles, Good); Milborne St Andrew First School (3.4 miles, Good); Cheselbourne Village School (3.7 miles, Good); and Broadmayne First School and Nursery (4.6 miles, Good).
Frome Valley CofE First SchoolMilborne St Andrew First SchoolCheselbourne Village SchoolBroadmayne First School and Nursery
The trust
Puddletown 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.
What parents say
54 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Puddletown Church of England First School (as of September 2025): 87% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 53% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (53%).
Who goes there
9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 21 pupils (15.7%) received SEN support and 4 (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.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Puddletown Church of England First School.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bellbury Close (se-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Puddletown Church of England First School issued 8 suspensions, 5.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from February 2011, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a warm, welcoming school where every child feels valued and safe. Reading is central to the curriculum with excellent phonics teaching, and pupils become confident fluent readers from Reception onwards. The school celebrates pupils' achievements regularly and helps them develop into respectful, responsible citizens prepared for life beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with consistent phonics teaching and high-quality books - pupils become fluent readers from the start
- Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils with a calm, purposeful learning environment
- Effective personal development curriculum teaching pupils to be active, respectful citizens
- Pupils behave well, feel safe, and are proud to take on leadership roles such as school council
- Teachers present information clearly and model new learning well in most lessons
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding consistently during lessons, so teaching is not always adapted to meet individual needs
- Support for pupils with SEND is inconsistent - sometimes tasks do not enable them to learn effectively
- Some pupils struggle to remember their learning and secure essential knowledge because lessons are not always adapted based on understanding checks
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
School council leadership roles, before- and after-school club
Puddletown Church of England First School is judged to be Good across all areas. The school is ambitious for pupils to thrive, with staff making learning interesting and pupils contributing eagerly during lessons.
At a Glance
9.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
54 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.0
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
27.5
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Puddletown Church of England First School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Puddletown Church of England First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Puddletown Church of England 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- 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: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Puddletown Church of England First School
Will you get a place at Puddletown Church of England First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Puddletown Church of England First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Puddletown Church of England First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England First School for 2016 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
91%
Near capacity
137 pupils
150 places
13 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(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
134
Total Pupils
65
Boys
69
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
16.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,639
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,560
Per pupil
£831k
Total funding
£21k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
9.6%
Persistent absence
115
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
Puddletown Church of England First School
Questions parents ask about Puddletown Church of England First School
What is Puddletown Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?
Puddletown Church of England First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Puddletown Church of England First School?
No fixed boundary. When Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England First School?
Puddletown Church of England First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 150 places.
How big are the classes at Puddletown Church of England First School?
Classes at Puddletown Church of England First School average 25 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Puddletown Church of England First School?
Puddletown Church of England First School has around 134 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Puddletown Church of England First School?
4.4% of sessions were missed at Puddletown Church of England First School in 2024/25. 9.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Puddletown Church of England First School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Puddletown Church of England First School?
Puddletown Church of England First School is at Dorchester Road, Puddletown, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 8FZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)