1
Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 0AX
2
12 May 2024
Top 10 Primary schools in Dorchester
Updated for the latest inspections (median graded year: 2022)
This Top 10 showcases primary schools in the town of Dorchester. 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
16
Outstanding
0
Good
11
Median inspection year
2022
Ofsted grade mix (graded schools)
O: 0% · G: 85% · RI: 8% · I: 8%
2
Piddle Valley Church of England First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 7QL
2
15 Jan 2024
3
Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 7LA
2
25 Sep 2023
4
Broadmayne First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 8PH
2
16 May 2023
5
The Prince of Wales School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT1 2HH
2
12 Jul 2018
6
Damers First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT1 3DF
2
2 Nov 2017
7
Frome Valley CofE VA First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 8WR
2
18 Jun 2013
8
Cheselbourne Village School
DORCHESTER • Dorset • DT2 7NT
2
20 May 2013
9
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 7BY
2
12 Jul 2012
10
Puddletown Church of England First School
Dorchester • Dorset • DT2 8FZ
2
2 Mar 2011
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 Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester 2 • Sep 2010
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School 3 • Sep 2023
- Manor Park Church of England First School 4 • Apr 2022
- Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Not judged • Oct 2024
- Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney Not judged • Oct 2024