Primary school in Ferndown, Dorset
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0JF
Ofsted
Inspected under the current framework, which gives no overall grade, on 23 April 2025.
Inspections since September 2024 do not give an overall grade, so there is no one-word judgement to report. The full report sets out what inspectors found.
Pupils
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- Places
- 184
- How full
- 80% full — 148 of 184 places taken
- Girls / boys
- 76 / 72
- Overall absence
- 5%
- Persistently absent
- 12%
primary schools average 5.2%
primary schools average 12.8% — pupils missing 10% or more of sessions
- Free school meals, last 6 years
- 22%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- With an EHC plan
- 2%
- On SEN support
- 13%
England 25.7%
England 18.7%
England 3.5%
England 15%
The neighbourhood around the school
Census 2021 figures for Dorset 016A, 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
- 32%
- Adults with no qualifications
- 16%
- Households owning their home
- 80%
- Households in social housing
- 8%
- Households with no car
- 7%
- Adults economically inactive
- 51%
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: Laura Crossley
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward
- West Moors & Three Legged Cross
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- URN
- 142514
The unique reference number used in all official school data.
Nearest primary schools
| School | Ofsted | Expected standard | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakhurst Community First SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | — | 0.6 mi |
| Three Legged Cross First and Nursery SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 1.8 mi |
| Ferndown First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 1.9 mi |
| Parley First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 2.5 mi |
| St Ives Primary & Nursery SchoolAcademy converter | Outstanding 2023 | 90% | 2.9 mi |
| Verwood Church of England First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 3 mi |
| Colehill First SchoolAcademy converter | Good 2023 | — | 3.1 mi |
| Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First SchoolAcademy converter | No grade | — | 3.1 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.