St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Sherborne

Good
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.8km)Possible (~2.6km)Unlikely (~3.4km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Anna Hedges
Pupils:99 / 200 capacity
LA:Dorset
Phone:01935872430
Address:Stonyacres, Yetminster, Sherborne, DT9 6LS
Trust:SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 June 2017

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:144416
UKPRN:10063973
Diocese:Diocese of Salisbury
Constituency:West Dorset
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Andrew's provides a caring, safe environment where pupils feel supported and happy. The school excels at personal development, offering enriching trips, visits, and leadership opportunities that help children understand the wider world. Staff work hard to support pupils' wellbeing and mental health, with particular strength in targeted support for disadvantaged children and those with additional needs.

Key Strengths

  • Strong safeguarding culture with open reporting systems like 'What I wish my teacher knew' boxes
  • Excellent personal development programme with meaningful trips, visits, and leadership opportunities such as school council
  • Improving reading teaching through new phonics approach and enhanced library support
  • Caring staff who support pupils' wellbeing and mental health
  • Inclusive approach with forest school activities and targeted support for disadvantaged pupils

Areas for Improvement

  • Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics significantly below national averages for all pupils
  • Inconsistent implementation of behaviour expectations across the school
  • Some pupils not receiving adequate support to secure foundational knowledge in basic skills
  • Early years behaviour expectations and routines unclear, affecting children's independence
  • Improvement plans not focused sharply enough on school priorities

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have created an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all legal requirements are fulfilled.

Extracurricular Activities

School council, food bank charity work, lunchtime clubs, forest school activities, singing songs and rhymes

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School has experienced leadership instability that affected educational quality and pupil achievement, but new leaders are implementing improvements across safeguarding, attendance, and personal development.

At a Glance

17.2%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+15ppMaths+3ppWriting-18pp

Reading has improved from 56% to 71%. Maths has remained stable at around 47%. Writing has declined from 56% to 38%.

Class Sizes

26.5

Avg class size

33.0

KS2

2

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Yetminster Rail Station (Entrance)
571m · 9 min walk

Bus Stops

Coles Lane (opp)
75m · 1 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

50%

Available places

99 pupils

200 capacity

101 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Sherborne

Low pressure
New homes approved:390
Projected new pupils:98

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Sherborne

Admissions Demand - Dorset

Low demand0.74x oversubscription

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(14)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.28358%

Overall absence

16%

Persistent absence

100

Enrolments

Authorised4.20446%
Unauthorised1.07912%
Persistent (10%+)16%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

4.48016%
18/19
3.70501%
20/21
5.32433%
21/22
6.83295%
22/23
6.08862%
23/24
5.28358%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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