Sturminster Marshall First School, Wimborne
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
This school creates a warm, caring community where children feel valued and safe. Reading is taught exceptionally well, with all Year 1 pupils meeting the phonics standard. Younger children benefit from excellent teaching that clearly identifies what they need to learn next, and the school actively supports pupils' personal development through community involvement and enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading programme with all pupils meeting the Year 1 phonics screening standard in 2024
- Positive relationships and calm, orderly environment where pupils behave well
- Good early years provision where younger pupils learn effectively and are well prepared for key stage 1
- Pupils have good personal development with strong understanding of British values and active involvement in their community
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching of the curriculum is inconsistent, particularly in upper years, with some learning tasks not ambitious enough to challenge pupils
- Older pupils have gaps in knowledge from previous curriculum and staff changes, affecting their readiness for the next stage
- Knowledge revisiting is not carefully planned - sometimes too much or too little for pupils to build on previous learning effectively
- Leadership's monitoring of improvements is not rigorous enough to check if actions are having real impact
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture where pupils feel safe and know they can share worries.
Extracurricular Activities
Drama clubs, multi-sports clubs, school council work with parish council, community litter picking, food bank donations, trips to Lyme Regis
Sturminster Marshall First School is a caring place where pupils feel safe and behaviour is good, but the quality of education requires improvement due to inconsistent teaching and gaps in pupils' learning from previous staffing instability.
At a Glance
12.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
38 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
16.8
Avg class size
14.0
Infant (KS1)
15.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
33%
Available places
49 pupils
148 capacity
99 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Wimborne
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Wimborne
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(5)
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
5.75393%
Overall absence
13.11475%
Persistent absence
61
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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