St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester
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St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester is a converter academy in Dorchester for boys and girls aged 2 to 9. It has 177 pupils and room for 183. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 42 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 26% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Lucetta Lane, Dorchester, DT1 2DD01305 262258stmarysdorchester.dorset.sch.ukMrs Sharon Betts headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 11 January 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
The school is full, with 1 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 stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 630 m away in 2026, 420 m away in 2025, 470 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 630 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 30 | 35 | 91 | 30 | 630 m | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 30 | 36 | 95 | 30 | 420 m | LA |
| 2024 Primary | 30 | 44 | 102 | 30 | 470 m | LA |
| 2023 Primary | 30 | 34 | 89 | 30 | 830 m | LA |
| 2021 Primary | 30 | 33 | 72 | 30 | 730 m | LA |
| 2020 Primary | 30 | 41 | 98 | 30 | 620 m | LA |
The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.
What a home within 470 m of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.5 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (6), language and communications needs (5), Specific learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (1), Moderate learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 177 | 174 | 182 | 190 | 186 | 187 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 5% | 8% | 10% | 11% | 12% | 9% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 15% | 16% | 18% | 16% | 15% | 13% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 10% | 15% | 11% | 13% | 11% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 5.4% | 5.0% | 5.6% | 5.4% | 3.3% | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.4% | 3.6% | 4.6% | 4.7% | 3.1% | 3.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.0% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 10.6% | 13.5% | 13.7% | 12.6% | 8.8% | 8.7% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Osmund's Church of England Middle School | Academy | 400 m | 714 | Good 2022 | 55 | Compare |
| Manor Park Church of England First School | Academy | 420 m | 396 | Report card 2026 | 69 | Compare |
| Dorchester Middle School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 527 | Report card 2026 | 20 | Compare |
| The Prince of Wales School | Council | 1.1 miles | 156 | No overall grade 2025 | 55 | Compare |
| Damers First School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 475 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster | Academy | 2.1 miles | 148 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Broadmayne First School and Nursery | Council | 2.8 miles | 139 | Good 2023 | 39 | Compare |
| Frome Valley CofE First School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 141 | No overall grade 2025 | 5 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 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.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 42 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 42% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 19 to 70. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.7 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.18 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.06 | 2024/25; 123 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester a good school?
It is about average. St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester scores 42 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 26% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 19 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester good at its last full inspection on 11 January 2023.
How many pupils does St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester have?
177 pupils aged 2 to 9 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 183 places, so it is 97% full.
Is St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 630 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester?
Pupils were in school 94.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 11% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester?
The average class had 29.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 20% 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
- Lucetta Lane, Dorchester, DT1 2DD
- Telephone
- 01305 262258
- Website
- www.stmarysdorchester.dorset.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sharon Betts
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-9, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic, Diocese of Plymouth
- Multi-academy trust
- Plymouth CAST (34 schools)
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward
- Dorchester East
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 April 2014 (academy converter)
- URN
- 140771 · LAESTAB 8383404 · UKPRN 10045622
- Formerly
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Dorset council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.