St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas
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St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas is a converter academy in Sherborne for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 90 pupils and room for 119. About 10 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 8 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in May 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Mill Lane, Sherborne, DT9 6RH01935 476515bradfordabbas.dorset.sch.ukMr Ian Bartle headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 6 May 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2 February 2022 | S5 Inspection | Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
16 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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017† | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 16 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 14 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 58% | 50% | 83% | 76% | 71% | 57% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 8% | 29% | 22% | 6% | 36% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 100.0 | 107.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 | 106.0 | 104.8 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 98.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 | 110.0 | 103.3 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 98.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 | 108.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 | 104.0 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 63% | 83% | 64% | 89% | 94% | 71% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 69% | 67% | 57% | 89% | 94% | 93% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 56% | 75% | 64% | 94% | 82% | 93% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -2.0 | +2.4 | +3.5 | -1.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -3.2 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +2.2 | – | – |
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.
† These results are for St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Bradford Abbas, the school this one replaced in June 2017. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. None of the 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
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. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
30 places were empty (25% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 14% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 13.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.0 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (11), emotional and mental health (9), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 90 | 89 | 94 | 96 | 103 | 109 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 10% | 7% | 9% | 12% | 7% | 9% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 0% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 28% | 21% | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 2% | 3% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% 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 | 4.1% | 4.2% | 5.3% | 6.1% | 2.9% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.2% | 3.1% | 4.1% | 3.9% | 1.9% | 2.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 1.0% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 6.2% | 3.7% | 16.3% | 18.7% | 3.1% | 5.8% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornford CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.3 miles | 104 | No overall grade 2024 | 59 | Compare |
| Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School | Council | 1.6 miles | 58 | Requires improvement 2023 | 2 | Compare |
| Pen Mill Infant and Nursery Academy | Academy | 1.9 miles | 156 | Requires improvement 2022 | 0 | Compare |
| Reckleford Infant School and Nursery | Council | 2.0 miles | 128 | Good 2023 | 3 | Compare |
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School | Academy | 2.0 miles | 99 | Report card 2026 | 3 | Compare |
| St. Michael's Academy | Academy | 2.0 miles | 264 | Good 2019 | 72 | Compare |
| St Gildas Catholic Primary School | Academy | 2.2 miles | 208 | No overall grade 2024 | 22 | Compare |
| Birchfield Community Primary School | Council | 2.3 miles | 409 | Good 2024 | 46 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas 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.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Church of England | 13.0 miles | 109 | Good 2023 | 40 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 8 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 8% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 3 to 23. 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 | 25% | in line | -0.08 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 16 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | well below | -0.30 | Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.12 | DfE progress measure; 16 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.21 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.08 | 2024/25; 81 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.13 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 16 pupils |
| 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 Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas a good school?
The figures are weak. St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas scores 8 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 4% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 3 to 23, 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 Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 6 May 2026 it rated teaching as needs attention, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How good are St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 44% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% 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 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas have?
90 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 119 places, so it is 76% full.
Is St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas oversubscribed?
Probably not. 30 places were empty in 2024/25 (25% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas?
Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 6% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas?
The average class had 22.5 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 25% 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
- Mill Lane, Sherborne, DT9 6RH
- Telephone
- 01935 476515
- Website
- www.bradfordabbas.dorset.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Ian Bartle
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 4-11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Salisbury
- Multi-academy trust
- Sherborne Area Schools' Trust (18 schools)
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward
- Sherborne Rural
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 June 2017 (academy converter)
- URN
- 144299 · LAESTAB 8383049 · UKPRN 10063962
- Formerly
- St Mary's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Bradford Abbas
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.
- 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.