Dunster First School
13 St George's Street, Dunster, Minehead, TA24 6RX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Paul James
- Federation
- The Moorland Federation
- Constituency
- Tiverton and Minehead
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 86
- URN
- 123643
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01643821254
About this school
Dunster First School is a community primary school in Minehead. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 86 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 March 2024, 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 Dunster 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 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 |
| 2023/24 | 121 |
| 2024/25 | 103 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dunster First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 18% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 7.8% | 18.5% | 86 | — |
| Minehead First School | — | 6.3% | 20.6% | 286 | 1.9 miles |
| St Michael's Church of England First School | — | 5% | 13.7% | 148 | 2.2 miles |
| Timberscombe Church of England First School | — | 6% | 21.4% | 28 | 2.4 miles |
| Old Cleeve Church of England First School | — | 6% | 18.6% | 127 | 3.9 miles |
| Cutcombe Church of England First School | — | 7.8% | 8.1% | 30 | 5.0 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)
- 18.45%
- English as an additional language
- 3.9%
- Overall absence
- 7.83%
- Persistent absence
- 18.39%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Minehead First School1.9 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
St Michael's Church of England First School2.2 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Timberscombe Church of England First School2.4 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Old Cleeve Church of England First School3.9 miles
Primary · Washford
-
Cutcombe Church of England First School5.0 miles
Primary · Minehead
Other schools in Minehead
- Cutcombe Church of England First School Primary
- Exford Church of England First School Primary
- Minehead First School Primary
- St Dubricius Church of England VA School Primary
- St Michael's Church of England First School Primary
- Timberscombe Church of England First School Primary
- Minehead Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- West Somerset College Secondary
- Aurora Foxes Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does Dunster First School teach?
- Dunster First School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Minehead.
- Who is the headteacher of Dunster First School?
- The headteacher of Dunster First School is Mr Paul James, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Dunster First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dunster 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 big is Dunster First School?
- Dunster First School has 86 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Dunster First School full?
- Dunster First School has capacity for 150 pupils and 86 on roll (57%), 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 Dunster First School a faith school?
- No. Dunster First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Dunster First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Dunster First School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Dunster First School?
- Dunster First School is part of the The Moorland Federation federation. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Dunster First School's absence rate?
- Dunster First School's overall absence rate is 7.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Dunster 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 Dunster 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 30 June 2026.