School Chooser

Loders CofE Primary Academy

Primary · ages 2-11MixedAcademyChurch of England72 pupilsNurseryBridportDorset
School Chooser Score
19
Below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 69, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 21% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
Reached the expected level at 1150%England 63%
Attendance96.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
Places12 spare72 pupils, 84 places
Pupils per teacher18.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll72Census January 2026

Loders CofE Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Bridport for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 72 pupils and room for 84. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 19 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it.

Loders, Loders, Bridport, DT6 3SA01308 423418loders.dorset.sch.ukMs Claire Pooley head of schoolAll details

Ofsted

Ofsted hasn't published an inspection for this school yet.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

12 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1150%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level8%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score104.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 73%73%20172018: 67%67%20182019: 40%40%20192023: 43%43%20232024: 33%33%20242025: 50%50%2025
Since 2017: -23%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017DorsetEngland
Pupils tested1297101211
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths50%33%43%40%67%73%57%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths8%0%14%20%0%9%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score104.098.0103.0106.0105.0109.0104.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.0101.099.0102.0103.0105.0103.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score104.0100.0100.0100.0105.0110.0104.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard58%67%43%80%83%91%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard50%56%43%50%75%82%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)58%67%43%60%92%82%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.9+3.0+1.8+5.9
Maths progressMaths progress score-2.7-1.5+0.8+1.8
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places63 pupils for 84 places, 2024/25
75% full

21 places were empty (25% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Dorset council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll72Census January 2026
Places8486% full
Pupils from low-income families17%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%13 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size17.04 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£13,950 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls38 / 34
White British pupils89%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (7), emotional and mental health (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Specific learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll727369677069
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%19%10%11%12%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%6%3%3%0%0%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%20%16%14%15%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%3%5%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school6.8%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.6%3.4%4.7%5.9%2.0%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.9%2.6%3.9%5.1%1.7%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.7%0.8%0.8%0.8%0.3%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence6.8%4.8%6.9%18.2%3.9%4.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers3.6full-time equivalent, 5 people
Pupils per teacher18.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,583
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.42022/23

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£7,696England £7,128. Total £531k
Income per pupil£9,058England £7,587. Total £625k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,478England £3,405
Money in reserve3%Not much put by: £19k, £277 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£94kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£7,696spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m812 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate32 per 1,000 people65% lower than the England average
Typical house price£345,000Dorset
Nearest bus stop100 mPrimary School, 2 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Bridport Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles267Good 202340Compare
St Catherine's Roman Catholic SchoolAcademy1.6 miles100Report card 20263Compare
Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England1.8 miles33Requires improvement 202412Compare
Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles194Good 202424Compare
Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled SchoolAcademy2.9 miles99Not inspected59Compare
Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England3.1 miles107No overall grade 202563Compare
Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary SchoolChurch of England3.3 miles109Good 202340Compare
Thorner's Church of England School, Litton CheneyChurch of England4.3 miles115No overall grade 202478Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Loders CofE Primary Academy with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats21%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 19 is 22 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 41 · highest 95100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 19 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 19% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 69. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%below
-0.12
2025 results; 12 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Progress pupils make20%well below
-0.28
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 12 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.01
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.10
2024/25; 59 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well below
-0.14
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 12 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Loders CofE Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Loders CofE Primary Academy scores 19 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 21% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 69, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

How good are Loders CofE Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 50% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 8% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Loders CofE Primary Academy have?

72 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 84 places, so it is 86% full.

Is Loders CofE Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 21 places were empty in 2024/25 (25% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Loders CofE Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 96.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Loders CofE Primary Academy?

The average class had 17.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Loders, Loders, Bridport, DT6 3SA
Telephone
01308 423418
Website
www.loders.dorset.sch.uk
Head of School
Ms Claire Pooley
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Salisbury
Multi-academy trust
The First Federation Trust (29 schools)
Local authority
Dorset
Ward
Eggardon
Constituency
West Dorset
Setting
Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 April 2016 (new provision)
URN
142046 · LAESTAB 8382010 · UKPRN 10049665
Formerly
Loders CofE VC Primary School

Where these figures come from