St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery, Ferndown
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Ferndown, part of The Heath Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2011. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. It was 64% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2011)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery in detail
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We would like to welcome you and your child to the St Mary's family. We are a busy but friendly school, with a real 'family feel' to it thanks to our caring, personable approach. We strive for high expectations and will work with individual children and families to ensure that children meet their full potential."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking, gardening and art.
Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 10 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 13 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Dorset
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery as their first choice and 75 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery are Oakhurst Community First School (0.6 miles, Good); Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School (1.8 miles, Good); Ferndown First School (1.9 miles); and Parley First School (2.5 miles, Good).
Oakhurst Community First SchoolThree Legged Cross First and Nursery SchoolFerndown First SchoolParley First School
The trust
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is one of 6 schools run by The Heath Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 93% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
16.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Marys Church (s-bound), 90 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery are West Moors Middle School (0.9 miles) and Ferndown Upper School (1.7 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from March 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 April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a warm, welcoming school where staff build strong relationships and get to know each child well. Reading is a real priority with expert teaching helping all pupils become confident, fluent readers. The school is also excellent at developing pupils' leadership skills and sense of responsibility - children vote for role models and participate in community activities like singing at care homes.
Key Strengths
- Warm relationships and welcoming environment help pupils feel comfortable and secure
- Strong focus on early reading with well-trained staff ensuring pupils become fluent readers
- Clear curriculum sequencing from Nursery to Year 4 helps pupils retain important knowledge
- Well-developed pupils' leadership skills through democratic voting for role models
- Pupils achieve well in national assessment and attendance has improved
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistencies in how misconceptions in mathematics and some other subjects are identified and addressed
- Gaps in knowledge from previous curriculum have not been fully addressed in some subjects
- Support for pupils with SEND sometimes lacks precision in helping them meet their personalised targets
- Need for more effective assessment systems to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff supporting pupils to feel comfortable sharing any worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest garden activities, bush crafts, visits to local lakes, singing at local care homes, serving soup to local residents, water safety talks, fire brigade visits, visits from scientists and athletes
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is a welcoming school where warm relationships underpin everything that happens. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for their next stage of learning.
At a Glance
16.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
25.4
Avg class size
25.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
KS2
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Newsletter 11.09.2026
14 Sep 2026
Newsletter 30.01.26
30 Jan 2026
Newsletter 23.01.26
23 Jan 2026
Newsletter 16.01.26
16 Jan 2026
Newsletter 09.01.26
9 Jan 2026
Class X pages
16 Jan 2025
From St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 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
Your chances of a place at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Will you get a place at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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
64%
Available places
118 pupils
184 places
66 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ferndown
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ferndown
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
20.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
148
Total Pupils
72
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
6
Teachers
24.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,857
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,731
Per pupil
£800k
Total funding
£39k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
12.2%
Persistent absence
98
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
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Questions parents ask about St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
What is St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2011, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 64% of its 184 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
Classes at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery average 25.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery has around 148 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery in 2024/25. 12.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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 St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 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 St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is at Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0JF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)