1
St Katharine's Church of England Primary School
Bournemouth • Dorset • BH6 4NA
1
9 Sep 2024
Top 10 Primary schools in Dorset
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the county of Dorset. It’s built from the latest graded Ofsted inspections. We rank Outstanding (grade 1) above Good (grade 2), then prioritise newer inspections. As tie-breakers, we consider the “Quality of education” sub-judgement (where available), then %FSM and school size.
Total primary schools
185
Outstanding
13
Good
141
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 7% · G: 80% · RI: 11% · I: 1%
2
Avonwood Primary School
Bournemouth • Dorset • BH7 6NB
1
20 May 2024
3
Canford Heath Infant School
Poole • Dorset • BH17 8PJ
1
15 May 2023
4
Rushcombe First School
Wimborne • Dorset • BH21 3PX
1
30 Jan 2023
5
Manorside Academy
Poole • Dorset • BH12 4JG
1
27 Mar 2018
6
St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School
Weymouth • Dorset • DT3 5DQ
1
25 Jun 2015
7
Queen's Park Academy
Bournemouth • Dorset • BH8 9PU
1
10 Jul 2014
8
Christchurch Infant School
Christchurch • Dorset • BH23 2AE
1
25 Jun 2014
9
Elm Academy
Bournemouth • Dorset • BH11 9JN
1
16 May 2014
10
Trinity Church of England First School
Verwood • Dorset • BH31 7PG
1
3 Mar 2014
How we rank these schools
- Headline Ofsted grade: Outstanding (1) outranks Good (2), then RI (3), then Inadequate (4).
- More recent graded inspection dates rank higher.
- Where available, we use the Quality of education sub-judgement as a tie-breaker.
- Lower free school meals (%) may break remaining ties.
- Larger roll (pupil count) is a final tie-breaker.
Only the ten highest-ranked schools are shown; we also list “near misses” just below.
About Ofsted grades
- Outstanding (1): Highest judgement across key areas.
- Good (2): Strong effectiveness; meets standards consistently.
- Requires improvement (3): Not yet good; clear areas to improve.
- Inadequate (4): Significant weaknesses found.
Ungraded Section 8 visits check whether the previous graded judgement still stands, but they don’t replace it.
Data freshness & coverage
We refresh inspections and school snapshots regularly. If a school was inspected very recently, its report may not yet appear here.
Top-10 pages only appear for areas with at least 10 primary schools that have a graded Ofsted inspection.
Map of the Top 10
Also highly rated nearby
- St James Church of England First School 1 • Feb 2014
- Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School 1 • May 2013
- St George's Church of England School, Bourton 1 • Mar 2013
- Pokesdown Community Primary School 2 • Sep 2024
- Wimborne First School and Nursery 2 • Sep 2024
- Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School 2 • Jul 2024
- Muscliff Primary School 2 • Jul 2024
- Ludwell Primary School 2 • Jun 2024
- Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School 2 • May 2024
- St John's Church of England Primary School 2 • May 2024