Sherborne Primary School, Sherborne
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 8 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Sherborne Primary creates a caring, inclusive community where all pupils feel they belong and are known as individuals. The school has successfully built a positive behaviour culture focused on kindness and respect, with excellent attendance and dramatically reduced suspensions. Staff work extensively to support disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs through carefully planned interventions.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with clear systems to keep pupils safe and help them feel secure
- Positive behaviour and attendance culture built on kindness and respect, with significant reduction in suspensions
- Inclusive approach that welcomes all families and provides targeted support for disadvantaged pupils and those with additional needs
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality is inconsistent and does not effectively help pupils remember knowledge over time, particularly in maths and writing
- Pupils' written work and mathematical understanding lag behind their reading skills
- Staff do not always check accurately what pupils know, so teaching is not adapted to address gaps and misconceptions
- Older pupils have gaps in personal development learning due to recent curriculum changes
- Individual targets for pupils with SEND are not precise enough to measure impact of support
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils are made safer and feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Gardening, choir, crafts, sporting competitions, drama performances
Sherborne Primary School is a caring community where pupils feel safe and belong, but the quality of teaching and pupil achievement in writing and mathematics need significant improvement to better prepare students for their next stage of education.
At a Glance
18.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 73% to 69%. Maths has declined from 61% to 55%. Writing has remained stable at around 71%.
Class Sizes
26.6
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
26.3
KS2
12
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
304 pupils
330 capacity
26 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Sherborne
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Sherborne
Admissions Demand - Dorset
Places available
3,776
Applications
2,808
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
Primary admissions across Dorset (2025/26)
Inspection History(4)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.37016%
Overall absence
12.63538%
Persistent absence
277
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Sherborne Primary School
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