Ferndown First School
Primary · Academy converter · Ages 4–9 · Ferndown, Dorset
Last distance offered · Reception 2021
2.254 miles
Published by Dorset Council · offers on 16 April 2021
2015–2016 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Ferndown First School is a primary school in Ferndown, Dorset for ages 4–9 (academy converter). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 10 November 2023. Dorset has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2015 to 2021 entry.
Ferndown 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 2021 | 2.254 mi |
| Reception 2016 | 🔒 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
- Reception 2026 had 76 first-choice applications for 89 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 13 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- That is 0.9 first choices per offer for Reception in 2026, the 9th lowest of 116 Dorset primary schools.
- For Reception in 2021, the last child offered a place lived 2.254 miles from the school, further than in 2016 and 2015, and the longest of the 3 years with a published distance.
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
- Mountbatten Drive, Ferndown, BH22 9FB
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4–9
- Council
- Dorset
- Pupils on roll
- 348 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 18.4% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 22.5
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 10 November 2023
Strengths
- “Children learn the routines and the high expectations of the school right from the start, in Reception.”
- “They gain confidence year on year and become great ambassadors for the school.”
- “For example, pupils undertake their leadership roles with integrity.”
To improve
- “However, there are occasions when sequences of work do not enable pupils to flourish in their work.”
- “This means that some pupils do not excel academically when they are ready.”
- “However, there is too little oversight of the impact of some aspects of the curriculum.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 15 December 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 76 first-preference applications, 89 offers in total, 76 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.
- Parley First School 0.7 mi Good Last distance published
- Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School 1.4 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Oakhurst Community First School 1.7 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 1.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Hayeswood First School 2.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Colehill First School 2.4 mi Good Last distance published
- St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne 3.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School 3.7 mi Good Last distance published