St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 2–11 · Gillingham, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2025
1.228 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2025
2015–2024 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School is a primary school in Gillingham, Dorset for ages 2–11 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 3 February 2023. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2025 entry.
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary 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 2025 | 1.228 mi |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2019 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2018 | 🔒 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
- For Reception 2025 the last distance offered was 1.228 miles, the 5th shortest of 14 Dorset primary schools with a published last distance; the middle figure was 3.27 miles.
- The 2025 Reception last distance was further from the school than in 2015, and the 2025 figure was the longest of the 5 years with a published distance.
- Reception 2026 drew 26 first-choice applications for 26 offers, and every first-choice family was offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 59% met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), while 14% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
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
- Pheasant Way, Gillingham, SP8 4GG
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–11
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 242 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 9.9% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 27.2
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 3 February 2023
Strengths
- “Pupils enjoy coming to this school because learning is exciting.”
- “They are ambitious and like to be challenged.”
- “The school’s ‘Great 8’ attitudes to learning help pupils to know how to learn well.”
To improve
- “On the rare occasion that adults’ expectations are not high enough, some pupils do not listen carefully, which affects their learning.”
- “In a few subjects, the curriculum is not as well sequenced.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 20 March 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 59% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 26 first-preference applications, 26 offers in total, 26 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.
- Gillingham Primary School 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade
- Wyke Primary School 1.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Motcombe CofE Primary School 1.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School 2.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Stower Provost Community School 2.6 mi Not judged
- The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury 3.1 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School 3.5 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull 4.1 mi Good