St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 2–9 · Ferndown, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
1.471 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2019–2022 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is a primary school in Ferndown, Dorset for ages 2–9 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 23 April 2025. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2019 to 2026 entry.
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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 | 1.471 mi |
| Reception 2022 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2019 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- The last child offered a Reception place in 2026 lived 1.471 miles away, the 14th shortest of 31 Dorset primary schools with a published Reception 2026 last distance.
- For Reception, the 2026 last distance was further from the school than in 2022 and about the same as in 2019, and it swung sharply between some years.
- Reception 2026 drew 32 first-choice applications for 29 offers; 29 offers went to first-choice families and 3 first-choice families (9%) were not offered a place.
- It has 28.2 pupils per teacher, against a middle figure of 21.9 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
- Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, BH22 0JF
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–9
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 148 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 16.2% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 28.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 23 April 2025
Strengths
- “Warm relationships underpin everything that happens in this welcoming school.”
- “Staff take the time to get to know pupils.”
- “This helps pupils to feel comfortable to share any worries.”
To improve
- “However, in some subjects, including mathematics, there are inconsistencies in how well misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are identified and addressed.”
- “This can affect the depth of pupils’ knowledge in these subjects.”
- “Furthermore, in some other subjects, gaps in knowledge from the previous curriculum have not been addressed fully.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 20 May 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 32 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.
- Oakhurst Community First School 0.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Ferndown First School 1.9 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Parley First School 2.5 mi Good Last distance published
- St Ives Primary & Nursery School 2.9 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Verwood Church of England First School 3.0 mi Good Last distance published
- Colehill First School 3.1 mi Good Last distance published
- Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School 3.1 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published