Cheselbourne Village School
Cheselbourne, Dorchester, DT2 7NT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Christopher Perry
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 60
- Pupils on roll
- 49
- URN
- 113663
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258837306
About this school
Cheselbourne Village School is a community primary school in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 49 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 March 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Cheselbourne Village School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 3.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 51 |
| 2023/24 | 52 |
| 2024/25 | 51 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cheselbourne Village School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 6.9% | 22.5% | 49 | — |
| Milborne St Andrew First School | — | 6.6% | 22.9% | 43 | 2.8 miles |
| Piddle Valley Church of England First School | — | 17.1% | 20.5% | 40 | 3.3 miles |
| Puddletown Church of England First School | — | 4.4% | 11.1% | 134 | 3.7 miles |
| Dunbury Church of England Academy | 45% | 3.6% | 13.3% | 131 | 4.7 miles |
| Hazelbury Bryan Primary School | 61% | 3.1% | 19% | 114 | 5.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 22.5%
- English as an additional language
- 2%
- Overall absence
- 6.85%
- Persistent absence
- 11.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Milborne St Andrew First School2.8 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Piddle Valley Church of England First School3.3 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Puddletown Church of England First School3.7 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Dunbury Church of England Academy4.7 miles
Primary · Winterborne Whitechurch
-
Hazelbury Bryan Primary School5.1 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
Other schools in Dorchester
- Broadmayne First School Primary
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School Primary
- Damers First School Primary
- Frome Valley CofE First School Primary
- Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Manor Park Church of England First School Primary
- Piddle Valley Church of England First School Primary
- Puddletown Church of England First School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester Primary
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster Primary
- Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Cheselbourne Village School teach?
- Cheselbourne Village School teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Cheselbourne Village School?
- The headteacher of Cheselbourne Village School is Mr Christopher Perry, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Cheselbourne Village School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cheselbourne Village School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Cheselbourne Village School?
- Cheselbourne Village School has 49 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is Cheselbourne Village School full?
- Cheselbourne Village School has capacity for 60 pupils and 49 on roll (82%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Cheselbourne Village School a faith school?
- No. Cheselbourne Village School has no designated religious character.
- Does Cheselbourne Village School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Cheselbourne Village School as having nursery classes.
- What is Cheselbourne Village School's absence rate?
- Cheselbourne Village School's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Cheselbourne Village School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Cheselbourne Village School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.