Beaminster St Mary's Academy
Clay Lane, Beaminster, DT8 3BY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Darren Marklew
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 140
- URN
- 140560
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01308862201
About this school
Beaminster St Mary's Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Beaminster. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 140 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
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
- Early years
- 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 | 17 | 17 | 12 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 41% | 75% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 47% | 75% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 59% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 65% | 41% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 102.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.10 | - | - |
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 Beaminster St Mary's Academy 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 | 47% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 41% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 75% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 102 |
| 2023/24 | 113 |
| 2024/25 | 125 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Beaminster St Mary's Academy compares
Beaminster St Mary's Academy ranked 6th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 75% | 5.8% | 35.2% | 140 | — |
| Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 71% | 4.6% | 24.4% | 132 | 2.3 miles |
| Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 60% | 5.8% | 16.1% | 93 | 2.4 miles |
| Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 60% | 4.1% | 10% | 109 | 2.6 miles |
| Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | 50% | 6.1% | 5.1% | 33 | 4.3 miles |
| Loders CofE Primary Academy | 50% | 3.6% | 20% | 72 | 4.8 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)
- 35.2%
- English as an additional language
- 4%
- Overall absence
- 5.81%
- Persistent absence
- 11.93%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.3 miles
Primary · Beaminster
-
Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Beaminster
-
Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School4.3 miles
Primary · Bridport
-
Loders CofE Primary Academy4.8 miles
Primary · Bridport
Other schools in Beaminster
- Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Beaminster School Secondary
- Mountjoy School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Beaminster St Mary's Academy teach?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Beaminster.
- Who is the headteacher of Beaminster St Mary's Academy?
- The headteacher of Beaminster St Mary's Academy is Mr Darren Marklew, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Beaminster St Mary's Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Beaminster St Mary's Academy, 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 Beaminster St Mary's Academy?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy has 140 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Beaminster St Mary's Academy full?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 140 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 Beaminster St Mary's Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Beaminster St Mary's Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Beaminster St Mary's Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Beaminster St Mary's Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Beaminster St Mary's Academy?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy is part of DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Beaminster St Mary's Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 47% in 2022/23 and 75% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Beaminster St Mary's Academy rank locally?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy ranked 6th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 78% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Beaminster St Mary's Academy's absence rate?
- Beaminster St Mary's Academy's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Beaminster St Mary's Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Beaminster St Mary's Academy'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 1 July 2026.