The Prince of Wales School, Dorchester
The Prince of Wales School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Dorchester. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 105% of capacity.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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
The Prince of Wales School in detail
The Prince of Wales School in its own words
In its own words: "At The Prince of Wales School and The Prince of Wales Pre-School we prepare children for life in modern Britain and ensure that the fundamental British Values are introduced, discussed and lived out through the ethos and work of our school. All curriculum areas provide a vehicle for furthering understanding of these concepts."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at The Prince of Wales School
For September 2026 entry, 37 families put The Prince of Wales School as their first choice and 136 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at The Prince of Wales School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Prince of Wales School are Damers First School (0.8 miles, Good); Manor Park Church of England First School (1.1 miles); St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester (1.1 miles, Good); and St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster (2 miles).
Damers First SchoolManor Park Church of England First SchoolSt Mary's Catholic First School, DorchesterSt Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster
What parents say
72 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Prince of Wales School (as of September 2025): 92% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 88% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school supports their child's wider development (88%).
Who goes there
10.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (85%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 34 pupils (21.8%) received SEN support and 12 (7.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
The Prince of Wales School has a resourced provision for physical disability: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Dorchester West Rail Station, about 1100 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Maiden Castle Road (nw-bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 107 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
The Prince of Wales School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Prince of Wales School are The Thomas Hardye School (0.3 miles), Dorchester Middle School (0.4 miles) and St Osmund's Church of England Middle School (1 mile).
The Thomas Hardye SchoolDorchester Middle SchoolSt Osmund's Church of England Middle School
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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from June 2018, 8 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 June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Prince of Wales School creates a warm, caring environment where every child feels valued and safe. Strong behaviour expectations, combined with excellent teaching in reading and early years, ensure pupils get off to a brilliant start. The school goes above and beyond with memorable experiences like overnight stays in roundhouses, musical instrument lessons, and international links that help children become thoughtful, responsible citizens.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and personal development, with pupils showing exceptional respect and responsibility
- Excellent early years provision where children settle quickly and develop strong collaborative learning skills
- Sharp focus on reading with effective phonics teaching and good support for pupils who need extra help
- Exceptional range of enrichment activities and trips that broaden pupils' horizons and develop the whole child
- Strong support for pupils with special educational needs, including those in the specially resourced provision
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, the school does not check pupils' learning with the same skill as in core areas, which can lead to gaps in knowledge
- Assessment systems need to be strengthened in minority subjects to help staff identify when pupils haven't learned key knowledge before moving on
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils knowing who to talk to about their worries and feeling safe and supported.
Extracurricular Activities
Gardening, art, woodwork, basketball, Shakespearean plays at local theatre, trips to Houses of Parliament in London, musical instrument lessons, overnight roundhouse stays, school council, eco council, pupil leadership groups
The Prince of Wales School is a happy, inclusive first school where kindness and strong relationships are central to pupil well-being. The school provides a nurturing environment with high expectations, ambitious teaching, and rich experiences that help most pupils achieve well.
At a Glance
10.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Physical
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
72 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
31.2
Avg class size
31.3
Infant (KS1)
31.0
KS2
5
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Prince of Wales School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Prince of Wales School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Prince of Wales 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
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 The Prince of Wales School
Will you get a place at The Prince of Wales School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Prince of Wales School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Prince of Wales School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Prince of Wales School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Prince of Wales School for 2014 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
105%
Over capacity
157 pupils
150 places
7 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Dorchester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Dorchester
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(6)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good and may be improving; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
29.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Prince of Wales School has a resourced provision for physical disability: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
156
Total Pupils
80
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,175
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,493
Per pupil
£945k
Total funding
£15k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
11.7%
Persistent absence
128
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
The Prince of Wales School
Questions parents ask about The Prince of Wales School
What is The Prince of Wales School's Ofsted rating?
The Prince of Wales School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Prince of Wales School?
No fixed boundary. When The Prince of Wales 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 The Prince of Wales School?
The Prince of Wales School was full in 2025, at 105% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at The Prince of Wales School?
Classes at The Prince of Wales School average 31.2 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to The Prince of Wales School?
The Prince of Wales School has around 156 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Prince of Wales School have specialist SEN provision?
The Prince of Wales School has a resourced provision for physical disability: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at The Prince of Wales School?
5.4% of sessions were missed at The Prince of Wales School in 2024/25. 11.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Prince of Wales School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming The Prince of Wales 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 The Prince of Wales School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 The Prince of Wales School?
The Prince of Wales School is at Maiden Castle Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2HH.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)