Schools in Dorchester
Dorset · 24 schools
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
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.
Schools in Dorchester (24)
- The Thomas Hardye School
Secondary · Ages 13-18 · DT1 2ET
Ofsted: Outstanding (2015)Attainment 8: 47.8 (2026) - Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DT2 7BY
Ofsted: Good (2012)New report cardKS2: 94% expected (2025) - Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School
Primary · Ages 4-11 · DT2 0AX
Ofsted: Good (2024)KS2: 71% expected (2025) - St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester
Primary · Ages 2-9 · DT1 2DD
Ofsted: Good (2010)88% of first choices got in - St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown
Secondary · Ages 9-13 · DT2 8SA
Ofsted: Good (2019)KS2: 71% expected (2025) - St Osmund's Church of England Middle School
Secondary · Ages 9-13 · DT1 2DZ
Ofsted: Good (2022)KS2: 73% expected (2025) - Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Primary · Ages 5-11 · DT2 0JP
Ofsted: Good (2019)KS2: 74% expected (2025) - The Prince of Wales School
Primary · Ages 2-9 · DT1 2HH
Ofsted: Good (2018)78% of first choices got in - Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney
Primary · Ages 2-11 · DT2 9AU
Ofsted: Good (2015)KS2: 87% expected (2025) - Dorchester Middle School
Secondary · Ages 9-13 · DT1 2HS
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2023)New report cardKS2: 62% expected (2025) - Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School
Primary · Ages 3-9 · DT2 9LW
Ofsted: Requires Improvement (2023)New report card - Manor Park Church of England First School
Primary · Ages 2-9 · DT1 2BH
Ofsted report card98% of first choices got in - St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster
Primary · Ages 4-9 · DT2 9RD
91% of first choices got in - Sunninghill Preparatory School
Independent · Ages 0-13 · Independent · DT1 1EB
Showing 20 of 24 schools
By type:Primary schools in Dorchester (16)Secondary schools in Dorchester (5)Special schools in Dorchester (1)Independent schools in Dorchester (1)PRU schools in Dorchester (1)
24
16 primary · 5 secondary
6,673
89% capacity used
6
0 outstanding · 6 good
7,481
808 spare places
Ofsted Ratings
Best Schools in Dorchester
View the full league table - ranked by Ofsted, Progress 8, KS2 results and more
Best Schools in Dorset
Compare all schools across the county
Area Performance (2026)
Attainment 8
39.9
GCSE Eng+Maths
32.0%
School Capacity & Demand
Housing Growth Detected
43 new homes approved nearby. This could generate an estimated +11 primary and +8 secondary pupils.
Source: MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years)
Primary Schools
86% occupied · 391 spare places
Secondary Schools
93% occupied · 285 spare places
Questions parents ask about schools in Dorchester
How many schools are there in Dorchester?
Dorchester has 24 open schools: 16 state primary, 5 state secondary or all-through, 1 independent, 1 special and 1 other.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Which schools in Dorchester are rated Outstanding?
1 school in Dorchester was rated Outstanding at its most recent graded Ofsted inspection: The Thomas Hardye School. Counting Good as well, 86% of the 21 graded schools here are rated Good or better. Ofsted stopped giving single-word overall grades in September 2024, so these are the grades from each school's last full inspection.
Source: Ofsted
Which secondary schools in Dorchester get the best GCSE results?
Of the 2 schools in Dorchester with 2026 GCSE results, the highest Attainment 8 scores - the average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSEs - were at The Thomas Hardye School, with an Attainment 8 score of 47.8 and 51% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above; and Dorset Studio School, with an Attainment 8 score of 32 and 13% passing English and maths at grade 5 or above. Progress 8, the DfE's value-added measure, was not published for 2026.
The Thomas Hardye SchoolDorset Studio School
Source: DfE school performance data
Which primary schools in Dorchester have the best SATs results?
Of the 4 primary schools in Dorchester with 2025 Key Stage 2 results, the highest shares of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and maths were at Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School (88% in reading, 100% in maths); Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney (87% in reading, 87% in maths); and Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (84% in reading, 63% in maths). Small schools can swing a long way from one year to the next, because each pupil is a large share of the result.
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary SchoolThorner's Church of England School, Litton CheneySticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Source: DfE school performance data
Are there grammar schools in Dorchester?
No. None of the state secondary schools in Dorchester selects pupils by ability, so every state secondary here is comprehensive.
Source: DfE Get Information About Schools
Do schools in Dorchester have catchment areas?
Most state schools in Dorchester have no fixed catchment boundary. When a school is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places on its published criteria - usually looked-after children first, then siblings, then home-to-school distance - so the practical cut-off moves each year. Each school's page here shows an estimate of its catchment radius.
How do I apply for a school place in Dorchester?
Apply to Dorset through its coordinated admissions process, even for academies and faith schools. In England the closing date is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts. Independent schools run their own admissions, so apply to those directly.