West Moors Middle School
Heathfield Way, West Moors, Ferndown, BH22 0DA
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 9 to 13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Dr Deborah Craddock
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, PD - Physical Disability, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 240
- URN
- 113861
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202872474
About this school
West Moors Middle School is a community middle school in Ferndown. It teaches children aged 9 to 13 and has 240 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected West Moors Middle 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 62 | 63 | 57 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 53% | 54% | 49% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 15% | 13% | 16% |
| Expected standard in reading | 66% | 78% | 60% |
| Expected standard in maths | 63% | 54% | 54% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 63% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
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 West Moors Middle 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 | 53% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 49% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 241 |
| 2023/24 | 247 |
| 2024/25 | 236 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How West Moors Middle School compares
West Moors Middle School ranked 62nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49% | 10.3% | 36.4% | 240 | — |
| Ferndown Middle School | 45% | 6.7% | 20.9% | 600 | 1.6 miles |
| Emmanuel Church of England Middle School | 65% | 5.3% | 18.7% | 434 | 3.6 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill | 65% | 5.9% | 14.8% | 563 | 4.1 miles |
| Allenbourn Middle School | 68% | 6.3% | 18% | 499 | 5.0 miles |
| Broadstone Middle School | 55% | 8.2% | 17.7% | 542 | 6.2 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)
- 36.44%
- English as an additional language
- 9.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.32%
- Persistent absence
- 27.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ferndown Middle School1.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Ferndown
-
Emmanuel Church of England Middle School3.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Verwood
-
St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill4.1 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne
-
Allenbourn Middle School5.0 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Wimborne
-
Broadstone Middle School6.2 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Broadstone
Other schools in Ferndown
- Ferndown Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Ferndown First School Primary
- Oakhurst Community First School Primary
- Parley First School Primary
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery Primary
- Ferndown Upper School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does West Moors Middle School teach?
- West Moors Middle School teaches children aged 9 to 13. It is a middle school in Ferndown.
- Who is the headteacher of West Moors Middle School?
- The headteacher of West Moors Middle School is Dr Deborah Craddock, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has West Moors Middle School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected West Moors Middle 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 West Moors Middle School?
- West Moors Middle School has 240 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 13.
- Is West Moors Middle School full?
- West Moors Middle School has capacity for 240 pupils and 240 on roll (100%), so it is at or above 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 West Moors Middle School a faith school?
- No. West Moors Middle School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does West Moors Middle School have?
- The schools register lists West Moors Middle School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability; SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health; MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment; PD - Physical Disability; MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have West Moors Middle School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 53% in 2022/23 and 49% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does West Moors Middle School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- West Moors Middle School ranked 62nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 7% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is West Moors Middle School's absence rate?
- West Moors Middle School's overall absence rate is 10.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are West Moors Middle School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, West Moors Middle 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.