Merley First School

Primary · Academy converter · Ages 5–9 · Wimborne, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Last distance offered · Reception 2024

Every applicant was offered a place

From Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council · offers on 16 April 2024

2023 figure 🔒

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Merley First School is a primary school in Wimborne, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for ages 5–9 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 29 November 2023. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2024 entry.

Merley First 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 2024	Every applicant was offered a place
Reception 2023	🔒 With a pass

What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment

What the figures show

Reception 2026 drew 68 first-choice applications for 60 offers, 1.1 first choices per offer, the 9th highest of 53 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole primary schools.
57 of the Reception 2026 offers went to first-choice families and 11 first-choice families (16%) were not offered a place; 3 went to families who ranked it second or lower.
In Reception 2024 every applicant was offered a place, as at 5 of the 14 other Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole primary schools with a published Reception 2024 outcome.
Free school meal eligibility stands at 9.9% of pupils, against a middle figure of 22.9% across the 8 nearest primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.

Key facts

Address: Oakley Straight, Merley, Wimborne, BH21 1SD
Type: Academy converter
Phase: Primary
Ages: 5–9
Council: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Pupils on roll: 292 January 2026 school census
Free school meals: 9.9% of pupils eligible
Pupils per teacher: 22.5

Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026

Ofsted

Good Inspected 29 November 2023

Strengths

“The school’s curriculum and carefully planned experiences ensure pupils grow to become respectful and thoughtful citizens.”
“Pupils are enthusiastic about these opportunities.”
“Pupils are kind and care for each other.”

To improve

“Nevertheless, there are a few wider subject curriculums for pupils in Years 1 to 4 that are not as well developed.”
“Teaching does not make effective use of assessment to plan and check what pupils must know and remember.”
“Learning activities are sometimes unnecessarily repeated.”

Safeguarding: Effective

Quoted from the Ofsted report published 19 January 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Applications and offers

2026 Reception entry: 68 first-preference applications, 60 offers in total, 57 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Broadstone First School 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
Bearwood Primary and Nursery School 1.9 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
Springdale First School 2.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
Ad Astra Infant School 2.5 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
Hillbourne Primary School 2.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
Haymoor Junior School 2.7 mi School remains Good
Christ The King Catholic Primary School 3.0 mi Not judged Last distance published
Elm Academy 3.0 mi Not judged Last distance published