St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 2–9 · Dorchester, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
0.390 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2015–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester is a primary school in Dorchester, Dorset for ages 2–9 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 11 January 2023. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2026 entry.
St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 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 | 0.390 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2020 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2015 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Reception 2026's last distance offered was 0.390 miles, the shortest of the 31 Dorset primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance; the middle figure was 1.64 miles.
- The Reception 2026 last distance was further than in 2025, about the same as 2020; every applicant was offered a place in 1 of 7 years with a published outcome.
- Reception 2026 drew 33 first-choice applications for 29 offers; 29 offers went to first-choice families, and 4 first-choice families (12%) were not offered a place.
- Free school meal eligibility stands at 5.1% of pupils, against a middle figure of 18.4% 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
- Lucetta Lane, Dorchester, DT1 2DD
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–9
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 177 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 5.1% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 11 January 2023
Strengths
- “Every pupil receives a very warm and positive welcome at the start of each day.”
- “Pupils thrive at this friendly, vibrant school.”
- “They love learning alongside their friends.”
To improve
- “However, in a small number of foundation subjects, the key knowledge and the precise order to learn it is not well developed.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 2 March 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 33 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.
- Manor Park Church of England First School 0.3 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- The Prince of Wales School 1.1 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Damers First School 1.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster 2.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Broadmayne First School and Nursery 2.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Frome Valley CofE First School 4.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- St Andrew's Church of England Primary School 4.4 mi Some aspects not as strong
- Bincombe Valley Primary School 4.5 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published