William Barnes Primary School
Bridge Street, Sturminster Newton, DT10 1BZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Fiona Locke
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 162
- URN
- 113676
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258472257
About this school
William Barnes Primary School is a community primary school in Sturminster Newton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 162 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected William Barnes Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out 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 22 February 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.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 26 | 31 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 45% | 55% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 68% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 45% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 58% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 98.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How William Barnes Primary 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 45% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 55% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 178 |
| 2023/24 | 175 |
| 2024/25 | 166 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How William Barnes Primary School compares
William Barnes Primary School ranked 47th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 55% | 5.1% | 24.1% | 162 | — |
| St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull | 50% | 5.6% | 29.8% | 51 | 3.0 miles |
| St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford | 43% | 5.7% | 16.5% | 125 | 3.1 miles |
| Shillingstone Church of England Primary School | 67% | 3.5% | 23.3% | 103 | 3.5 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull | 67% | 5.7% | 21.6% | 82 | 3.8 miles |
| Hazelbury Bryan Primary School | 61% | 3.1% | 19% | 114 | 4.0 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)
- 24.1%
- English as an additional language
- 25.3%
- Overall absence
- 5.07%
- Persistent absence
- 15.09%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull3.0 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
-
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford3.1 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Shillingstone Church of England Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull3.8 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
-
Hazelbury Bryan Primary School4.0 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
Other schools in Sturminster Newton
- Hazelbury Bryan Primary School Primary
- St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull Primary
- Sturminster Newton High School Secondary
- Yewstock School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does William Barnes Primary School teach?
- William Barnes Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Sturminster Newton.
- Who is the headteacher of William Barnes Primary School?
- The headteacher of William Barnes Primary School is Ms Fiona Locke, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has William Barnes Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected William Barnes Primary 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 many pupils are at William Barnes Primary School?
- William Barnes Primary School has 162 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is William Barnes Primary School full?
- William Barnes Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 162 on roll (77%), 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 William Barnes Primary School a faith school?
- No. William Barnes Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does William Barnes Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records William Barnes Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have William Barnes Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 55% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does William Barnes Primary School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- William Barnes Primary School ranked 47th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 30% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is William Barnes Primary School's absence rate?
- William Barnes Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are William Barnes Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, William Barnes Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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.