Puddletown Church of England First School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 4–9 · Dorchester, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2024
3.527 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2024
2016–2021 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Puddletown Church of England First School is a primary school in Dorchester, Dorset for ages 4–9 (academy converter). 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 2016 to 2024 entry.
Puddletown 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 2024 | 3.527 mi |
| Reception 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2016 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The 2024 Reception last distance offered was 3.527 miles, the longest of the 7 Dorset primary schools with a published Reception 2024 last distance (middle figure 0.97 miles).
- That 2024 Reception distance was nearer the school than in 2021 and 2016, and the 2024 figure was the shortest of the 3 years with a published distance.
- For Reception in 2026 there were 29 first-choice applications for 29 offers, and every first-choice family was offered a place.
- 9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, 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
- Dorchester Road, Puddletown, Dorchester, DT2 8FZ
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4–9
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 134 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 9% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 20.9
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 3 June 2025
Strengths
- “The school is ambitious for pupils to thrive.”
- “It ensures that pupils are surrounded by care and high expectations.”
- “The school focuses on making every moment count.”
To improve
- “However, during lessons, routine checks of pupils’ understanding are not carried out consistently.”
- “As a result, teaching is not always adapted in response to pupils’ needs so that everyone keeps up with the learning.”
- “This means that some pupils do not build their understanding of essential knowledge so find it difficult to remember their learning.”
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: 29 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.
- Frome Valley CofE First School 3.2 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Milborne St Andrew First School 3.4 mi School remains Good
- Cheselbourne Village School 3.7 mi School remains Good
- Broadmayne First School and Nursery 4.6 mi Good Last distance published
- Piddle Valley Church of England First School 4.6 mi Good Last distance published
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 4.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Manor Park Church of England First School 4.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster 5.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published