Stower Provost Community School, Gillingham

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.9km)Possible (~2.8km)Unlikely (~3.6km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Ailsa Boardman-Hirst
Pupils:92 / 146 capacity
LA:Dorset
Phone:01747838370
Address:Woodville Stour Provost, Gillingham, SP8 5LX
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 10 June 2025View full report
URN:113674
UKPRN:10072188
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:North Dorset
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Stower Provost provides a caring, family-like environment where pupils are well-supported and encouraged to succeed. The school offers excellent opportunities for character development through sporting events, farm visits, school council and librarian roles. Staff are committed to helping every child learn, with particularly strong improvements in reading, mathematics and support for children with additional needs.

Key Strengths

  • Improved curriculum with focus on 'sticky knowledge' that helps pupils remember and recall important information
  • Significantly enhanced support for pupils with SEND leading to more effective help
  • Strong teaching of reading, writing and mathematics with staff trained in new approaches
  • Wide range of enriching activities and experiences that support character development
  • Effective behaviour management with rewards for good work and positive conduct

Areas for Improvement

  • Writing quality across the school needs improvement - some pupils struggle with spelling, grammar and punctuation
  • Not all curriculum areas are broken down into manageable chunks of knowledge, particularly in early years personal, social and emotional development
  • Some pupils are not confident in the school's approach to dealing with bullying
  • School sometimes tries to improve too many areas at once, which can slow progress

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils feel safe and happy.

Extracurricular Activities

Breakfast club, after-school club, sporting events, farm visits, school council, librarian roles

Stower Provost Community School has significantly improved from its previous 'Requires Improvement' rating. The school now has a more effective curriculum, better support for pupils with SEND, and strong personal development opportunities.

At a Glance

13.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

41 responses
Would recommend90%
Child is happy95%
Well taught90%
Good progress88%
Feels safe93%
Well behaved90%
Bullying dealt with12%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns73%
Wider development85%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+23ppMaths+3ppWriting+10pp

Reading has improved from 50% to 73%. Maths has remained stable at around 53%. Writing has improved from 63% to 73%.

Class Sizes

22.0

Avg class size

16.0

Infant (KS1)

28.0

KS2

4

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Stour Provost Community School (W-bound)
191m · 3 min walk
Stour Provost Cross Roads (W-bound)
991m · 16 min walk
Stour Provost Crossroads (S-bound)
997m · 16 min walk
The Crossroads (N-bound)
1.0km · 16 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

63%

Available places

92 pupils

146 capacity

54 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Gillingham

Medium pressure
New homes approved:1,897
Projected new pupils:474

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Gillingham

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(13)

10 June 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
11 June 2024
25 January 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood

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

4.43563%

Overall absence

9.63855%

Persistent absence

83

Enrolments

Authorised2.80316%
Unauthorised1.63247%
Persistent (10%+)9.63855%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.73644%
18/19
1.61671%
20/21
6.01024%
21/22
5.29214%
22/23
3.50505%
23/24
4.43563%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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