Piddle Valley Church of England First School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 2–9 · Dorchester, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2015
3.312 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2015
Piddle Valley Church of England First School is a primary school in Dorchester, Dorset for ages 2–9 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 22 November 2023. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 entry.
Piddle Valley Church of England 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 2015 | 3.312 mi |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Reception 2026 drew 7 first-choice applications for 8 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 1 offer went to a family who ranked it second or lower.
- There are 40 pupils on roll and 11.1 pupils per teacher; the middle figure across the 8 nearest primary schools in Dorset is 20.9.
- Free school meal eligibility is 22.5% of pupils, against a middle figure of 12.7% 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
- Piddletrenthide, Dorchester, DT2 7QL
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–9
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 40 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 22.5% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 11.1
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 22 November 2023
Strengths
- “Children thrive from the moment they arrive in Nursery.”
- “Staff know pupils individually.”
- “They link learning to pupils’ interests and build on what they already know, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).”
To improve
- “Occasionally, some pupils need reminding to do their best.”
- “Some parts of the community are less confident, because of historical weaknesses in the school’s engagement with them.”
- “Nevertheless, there is more to do.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 16 January 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 7 first-preference applications, 8 offers in total, 7 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.
- Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School 2.9 mi Good Last distance published
- Cheselbourne Village School 3.3 mi School remains Good
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School 3.8 mi No Ofsted grade
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster 4.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Puddletown Church of England First School 4.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Damers First School 5.7 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Milborne St Andrew First School 5.8 mi School remains Good
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 5.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published