Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School
Winterbourne Abbas, Dorchester, DT2 9LW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Sleightholme
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 90
- Pupils on roll
- 60
- URN
- 113820
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01305889297
About this school
Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 3 to 9 and has 60 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First 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 | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 69 |
| 2023/24 | 57 |
| 2024/25 | 65 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.3% | 4.6% | 60 | — |
| Portesham Church of England Primary School | 38% | 13.9% | 26.3% | 46 | 3.1 miles |
| Damers First School | — | 4.3% | 18.9% | 475 | 3.4 miles |
| The Prince of Wales School | — | 5.4% | 12.2% | 156 | 3.8 miles |
| St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster | — | 4.1% | 6.7% | 148 | 3.9 miles |
| Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney | 73% | 4.1% | 10.7% | 115 | 4.3 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report27 January 2026
- 3 July 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 4.62%
- English as an additional language
- 3.1%
- Overall absence
- 4.32%
- Persistent absence
- 12.28%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Portesham Church of England Primary School3.1 miles
Primary · Weymouth
-
Damers First School3.4 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
The Prince of Wales School3.8 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster3.9 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney4.3 miles
Primary · Dorchester
Other schools in Dorchester
- Broadmayne First School Primary
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School Primary
- Cheselbourne Village 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
Common questions
- What ages does Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School teach?
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School teaches children aged 3 to 9. It is a primary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School?
- The executive headteacher of Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School is Mrs Emma Sleightholme, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First 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 Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School?
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School has 60 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 9.
- Is Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School full?
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School has capacity for 90 pupils and 60 on roll (67%), 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 Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School a faith school?
- Yes. Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School as having nursery classes.
- What is Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School's absence rate?
- Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First 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 Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First 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.