Primary school in Fordingbridge, Dorset
St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt
Park Lane, Alderholt, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 3AJ
Ofsted
Remained Good at its last ungraded inspection, on 14 March 2023.
Ofsted stopped awarding single-word overall grades in September 2024. This grade is 3 years old and will not be updated — the school keeps it until its next inspection, which will not produce a replacement grade.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 125
- Places
- 180
- How full
- 69% full — 125 of 180 places taken, so places are likely to be available
- Girls / boys
- 69 / 56
- Overall absence
- 5%
- Persistently absent
- 8%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 17%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- With an EHC plan
- 0%
- On SEN support
- 7%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Dorset 007B, the statistical neighbourhood the school sits in — roughly 1,500 residents. It describes the area, not the pupils, who may travel in from further away.
- Adults with a degree
- 35%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 14%
- Households owning their home
- 94%
- Households in social housing
- 1%
- Households with no car
- 5%
- Adults economically inactive
- 47%
England 33.8%
England 18.3%
England 62.7%
England 17%
England 21.9%
England 39.9%
School details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- Ages 2–9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- Yes
- Boarding
- Day school
- Trust
- THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher: Jo Hudson
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward
- Cranborne & Alderholt
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- URN
- 142506
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fordingbridge Junior SchoolCommunity school | Good 2023 | 62% | 2.5 mi |
| Fordingbridge Infant SchoolCommunity school | No grade | — | 2.5 mi |
| Hillside Community First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 2.8 mi |
| Trinity Church of England First SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | — | 2.8 mi |
| Hyde Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school | Good 2023 | 50% | 3 mi |
| Western Downland Church of England Aided Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school | Good 2023 | 65% | 3.5 mi |
| Verwood Church of England First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 3.6 mi |
| Cranborne Church of England First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 4 mi |
Where these figures come from
- School details, address and pupil numbers — Get Information About Schools, the DfE register, as at 14 August 2026.
- Exam results — DfE performance tables, 2024/25.
- Free school meals, EAL and SEN — school census, 2024/25.
- Ofsted — Ofsted management information, latest inspections as at 30 June 2026.
- Neighbourhood figures — ONS Census 2021, lower layer super output area.
All published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. If something here looks wrong, the school's own website is the authority on admissions and open days.