The Prince of Wales School
Primary · Community school · Ages 2–9 · Dorchester, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
0.867 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2015–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
The Prince of Wales School is a primary school in Dorchester, Dorset for ages 2–9 (community school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 3 June 2025. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.
The Prince of Wales School catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 0.867 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2022 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2020 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2019 | 🔒 With a pass |
And 4 earlier figures.
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- In 2026 the last child offered a Reception place lived 0.867 miles away, the 5th shortest of the 31 Dorset primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance.
- The 2026 Reception last distance was nearer the school than in 2025 and further than in 2015, and it swung sharply between some years.
- Reception 2026 had 37 first-choice applications for 29 offers: 29 offers went to first-choice families, and 8 first-choice families were not offered a place.
- 10.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, against a middle figure of 17.2% across the 8 nearest primary schools in Dorset.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Dorset schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Maiden Castle Road, Dorchester, DT1 2HH
- Type
- Community school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–9
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 156 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 10.3% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.7
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 3 June 2025
Strengths
- “Kindness ripples through this happy school.”
- “Pupils appreciate the adults who care for them.”
- “They know who they can talk to if they have any worries.”
To improve
- “However, in a minority of subjects, the school does not use checks on learning with the same degree of skill.”
- “This means that sometimes, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 9 July 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 37 first-preference applications, 29 offers in total, 29 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Dorset.
- Damers First School 0.8 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Manor Park Church of England First School 1.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 1.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster 2.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Broadmayne First School and Nursery 3.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School 3.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Bincombe Valley Primary School 4.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School 4.2 mi Not judged Last distance published