Primary schools in Dorchester

There are 19 primary schools in Dorchester (Dorset), teaching 4,106 pupils. Of the 17 with a score, 4 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 5 do worse.

Best in England Secondary schools in Dorchester All schools in Dorchester

Pupils from low-income families15%average across these schools

Doing better than similar schools4 of 17scored schools in the top two bands

New-style Ofsted report cards4inspected since November 2025

Good or outstanding (old grades)8of those still on old grades

Full or nearly full6 of 19schools with 98% or more of places taken

Average class size23.6one-teacher classes, January census

Free breakfast clubs2schools on the government programme

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Primary schools (19)

Ranked by score, highest first. The likely range shows how sure we can be. If two schools' ranges overlap, don't read it as one beating the other. Click a column heading to sort, or hover a row to find it on the map.

#	School	Pupils	Low income	Ofsted	Score	Likely range
1	Cheselbourne Village SchoolCouncil · ages 3-9	49	27%	Good 2023	91	76 to 97
2	Thorner's Church of England School, Litton CheneyChurch of England · ages 2-11	115	13%	No overall grade 2024	78	41 to 93
3	Cerne Abbas CofE VC First SchoolChurch of England · ages 3-9	77	6%	Good 2023	77	50 to 91
4	Manor Park Church of England First SchoolAcademy · ages 2-9	396	20%	Report card 2026	69	44 to 85
5	Puddletown Church of England First SchoolAcademy · ages 4-9	134	9%	No overall grade 2025	64	36 to 85
6	St Mary's Church of England Middle School, PuddletownAcademy · ages 9-13	441	21%	Good 2019	58	36 to 75
7	Buckland Newton Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy · ages 2-11	110	15%	Report card 2026	55	25 to 81
8	St Osmund's Church of England Middle SchoolAcademy · ages 9-13	714	17%	Good 2022	55	34 to 73
9	The Prince of Wales SchoolCouncil · ages 2-9	156	10%	No overall grade 2025	55	27 to 79
10	Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 5-11	70	6%	No overall grade 2024	51	21 to 79
11	St Mary's Catholic First School, DorchesterAcademy · ages 2-9	177	6%	Good 2023	42	19 to 70
12	Broadmayne First School and NurseryCouncil · ages 2-9	139	7%	Good 2023	39	17 to 68
13	Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England · ages 4-11	137	20%	Good 2024	32	14 to 60
14	Dorchester Middle SchoolAcademy · ages 9-13	527	22%	Report card 2026	20	10 to 35
15	Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First SchoolChurch of England · ages 3-9	60	13%	Report card 2026	19	8 to 42
16	Frome Valley CofE First SchoolAcademy · ages 2-9	141	22%	No overall grade 2025	5	2 to 11
17	Piddle Valley Church of England First SchoolAcademy · ages 2-9	40	23%	Good 2023	4	2 to 10
	Damers First SchoolAcademy · ages 4-9	475	19%	Not inspected	–
	St Mary's Church of England First School, CharminsterAcademy · ages 4-9	148	10%	Not inspected	–

Primary schools in nearby areas

Wimborne18 schools Weymouth14 schools Blandford Forum10 schools Sherborne7 schools Bridport10 schools Wareham9 schools Gillingham6 schools Ferndown6 schools Sturminster Newton4 schools Shaftesbury4 schools Beaminster3 schools Poole3 schools

About this list

Schools are listed by their School Chooser Score, highest first. Schools without a score (independent schools and those with too little published data) come after, in alphabetical order. The score compares each school with schools that have a similar mix of pupils, not just with each other, so a school with a lower score in a wealthier area may still have better exam results. How the score works.