School Chooser

Mudeford Junior School

Primary · ages 7-11MixedCouncil255 pupilsChristchurchBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
School Chooser Score
85
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 74 to 92, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2023
Reached the expected level at 1182%England 63%
Attendance95.7%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families20%A bit fewer than most schools
Places9 spare255 pupils, 264 places
Pupils per teacher20.1School workforce census

Mudeford Junior School is a council school in Christchurch for boys and girls aged 7 to 11. It has 255 pupils and room for 264. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 85 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Mudeford Lane, Mudeford, Christchurch, BH23 3HP01202 473217mudefordjun.dorset.sch.ukMr Mark Partridge headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

66 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1182%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level15%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 83%83%20172018: 82%82%20182019: 80%80%20192023: 82%82%20232024: 81%81%20242025: 82%82%2025
Since 2017: -1%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017Bournemouth, Christchurch and PooleEngland
Pupils tested666366666666
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths82%81%82%80%82%83%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths15%16%21%12%11%5%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0107.0108.0106.0107.0107.0105.7105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0108.0109.0109.0108.0107.0104.9104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0108.0110.0110.0109.0108.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard85%86%85%82%85%91%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard86%89%91%97%97%98%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)88%87%89%91%89%89%
Reading progressReading progress score+1.6+0.7+0.0+2.1
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.7+3.3+2.2+2.1
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged60%62%67%82%38%93%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged88%86%85%80%92%81%

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.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
60%88%
Gap 28 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
82%81%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
7%15%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Full255 pupils for 238 places, 2024/25
107% full

The school is full, with 17 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have fallen by 3% 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 roll255Census January 2026
Places26497% full
Pupils from low-income families20%20% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English4%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support12%30 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%10 pupils with a plan
Average class size31.25 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils40%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)20%£77,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls130 / 125
White British pupils91%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (14), Other difficulty or disability (13), language and communications needs (8), Physical disability (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll255256258258263264
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%19%21%19%21%16%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language4%5%4%2%3%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support11%9%9%8%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%2%3%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.7%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.3%4.9%5.3%6.0%2.9%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.6%4.1%4.4%2.3%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.1%1.3%1.3%1.6%0.6%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.7%10.2%11.0%15.7%4.9%6.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.81.92.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers12.7full-time equivalent, 16 people
Pupils per teacher20.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants6.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,491
Teachers who left in the year8%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.52024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£6,236England £7,738. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£6,197England £7,697. Total £1.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,437England £3,480
Money in reserve6%Not much put by: £91k, £356 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£10kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,236spent 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 m13812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate99 per 1,000 people9% higher than the England average
Typical house price£335,000Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Nearest bus stop100 mMudeford Junior School, 13 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
Mudeford Community Infants' SchoolCouncil490 m176Good 202468Compare
Somerford Primary SchoolCouncil720 m169Report card 20264Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, ChristchurchRoman Catholic0.8 miles199Good 202457Compare
The Priory Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.2 miles198Report card 202614Compare
St Katharine's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.4 miles435Outstanding 202495Compare
Christchurch Infant SchoolAcademy1.7 miles285Not inspectedCompare
Christchurch Junior SchoolAcademy1.7 miles479Good 202270Compare
Burton Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.9 miles258Report card 202631Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Mudeford Junior School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats94%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 85 is 47 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 5 · middle 39 · highest 96100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 85 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 85% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 74 to 92. 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%above
+0.20
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 66 pupils
Ofsted inspection19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.17
DfE progress measure; 66 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.06
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.05
2024/25; 259 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.16
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 66 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 Mudeford Junior School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Mudeford Junior School scores 85 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 94% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 74 to 92, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Mudeford Junior School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Mudeford Junior School good at its last full inspection on 28 February 2023.

How good are Mudeford Junior School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 82% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 15% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Mudeford Junior School have?

255 pupils aged 7 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 264 places, so it is 97% full.

Is Mudeford Junior School oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 17 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at Mudeford Junior School?

Pupils were in school 95.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 10% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Mudeford Junior School?

The average class had 31.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 40% of classes 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
Mudeford Lane, Mudeford, Christchurch, BH23 3HP
Telephone
01202 473217
Website
www.mudefordjun.dorset.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mr Mark Partridge
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 7-11
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Ward
Burton & Grange
Constituency
Christchurch
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
113740 · LAESTAB 8392247 · UKPRN 10070663

Where these figures come from