St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School, Weymouth
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Weymouth, part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 13 schools in Weymouth with published results, and 1,154th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 102% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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 Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School in detail
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We trust it gives you a flavour of the many wonderful experiences and opportunities that as a team we work hard to offer our children. It is our aspiration that every child is nurtured, challenged, empowered and inspired throughout their journey in our school."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 76% in reading and 69% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 88 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School are Radipole Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 77% reading, 81% maths); Bincombe Valley Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 79% reading, 63% maths); Southill Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 73% reading, 61% maths); and St Andrew's Church of England Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 74% reading, 68% maths).
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Radipole Primary SchoolBincombe Valley Primary SchoolSouthill Primary SchoolSt Andrew's Church of England Primary School
The trust
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School is one of 28 schools run by Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
60 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (93%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (69%).
Who goes there
6.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Upwey Rail Station, about 460 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wey Valley School (n-bound), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 81 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School, Broadwey (URN 113834), it was rated Outstanding in June 2015.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school excels at making every child feel cared for and known as an individual, creating a warm community where pupils thrive. Teachers use clear, careful instruction to help pupils build strong skills in reading, writing and maths. The school offers a remarkable range of activities - from music and sports to eco-initiatives - ensuring every child can pursue their talents and interests.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on personal development with extensive enrichment activities including trips, clubs, music, and sporting fixtures
- Well-embedded approach to teaching reading using phonics, with pupils supported to read widely
- Effective identification and support for pupils with special educational needs through well-matched strategies and the inclusive 'Bee Hive' space
- Clear teaching with good use of modelling, particularly in English and early reading
- Strong behaviour and attendance, with pupils being respectful and calm
Areas for Improvement
- Some curriculum areas need clearer identification of the most important knowledge and vocabulary pupils should learn and recall
- Assessment checks in some foundation subjects are not providing clear enough information about pupil progress and learning
- The school needs to refine what pupils need to learn and when in a small number of subjects
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Football teams, choir, band, music lessons on various instruments, after-school cooking club with school chef, eco group, extensive trips, breakfast club, after-school care
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School is a primary school in Weymouth that has significantly redesigned its curriculum to be broad and ambitious. The school is known for its warm community ethos and high expectations for all pupils.
At a Glance
18.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
60 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 76% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 69% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 73% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.5
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.7
KS2
4
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Starlearners & Values 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
St Nicholas and St Laurence Ofsted Report
Music Lessons available in school - Guitar - Piano - Drumming. Teacher contact details
Mrs Morris Welcome letter
Starting Secondary School Sept 2027 (1)
From St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary 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
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
3 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 Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School for 2023 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
102%
Over capacity
215 pupils
210 places
5 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Weymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Weymouth
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
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
23.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
213
Total Pupils
97
Boys
116
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
21.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,450
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,375
Per pupil
£1273k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.1%
Overall absence
7.0%
Persistent absence
185
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 Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in July 2022. Before that, as St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School, Broadwey (URN 113834), it was rated Outstanding in June 2015.
What is the catchment area for St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary 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 St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School was full in 2025, at 102% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School average 30.5 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School has around 213 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
4.1% of sessions were missed at St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary 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 St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 3 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 Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School?
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School is at Broadwey, Weymouth, Dorset, DT3 5DQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)