The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury
Primary · Voluntary aided school · Ages 4–11 · Shaftesbury, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2025
1.175 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2025
2015–2024 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury is a primary school in Shaftesbury, Dorset for ages 4–11 (voluntary aided school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 7 December 2022. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2025 entry.
The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury 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 2025 | 1.175 mi |
| 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 |
| Reception 2017 | 🔒 With a pass |
And 1 earlier figure.
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Reception 2025 the last child offered a place lived 1.175 miles away, the 4th shortest of 14 Dorset primary schools with a published Reception 2025 last distance.
- That 2025 Reception distance was about the same as in 2024 and further than in 2015, and it swung sharply between some years, most from 2017 to 2019.
- Reception 2026 drew 28 first-choice applications for 29 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 1 offer went to a family who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), and 5% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
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
- St James's Street, St James St, Shaftesbury, SP7 8HQ
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4–11
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 201 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 16.9% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 20.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 7 December 2022
Strengths
- “Children get off to a great start in Reception.”
- “Across the school, pupils usually get along well together and enjoy school.”
- “If bullying happens, staff deal with it.”
To improve
- “However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is less well refined.”
- “This means that pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge they could, for example, in French.”
- “However, leaders do not consider the implications of some of their decision-making about when staff assess pupils and what action staff take as a result.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 27 January 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 62% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 28 first-preference applications, 29 offers in total, 28 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.
- Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School 1.0 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Motcombe CofE Primary School 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
- St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School 3.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Stower Provost Community School 3.4 mi Not judged
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School 3.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Gillingham Primary School 4.0 mi No Ofsted grade
- Wyke Primary School 4.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull 4.9 mi Good