Dunbury Church of England Academy
Dolway Lane, Winterborne Whitechurch, DT11 0AW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Richardson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 131
- URN
- 140561
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258880501
About this school
Dunbury Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Winterborne Whitechurch. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 131 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. 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 19 January 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 | 21 | 12 | 11 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 48% | 58% | 45% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 24% | 8% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 92% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 67% | 55% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 42% | 55% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 102.0 | 100.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -3.70 | - | - |
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 Dunbury Church of England 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 | 48% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 45% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 118 |
| 2023/24 | 112 |
| 2024/25 | 113 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Dunbury Church of England Academy compares
Dunbury Church of England Academy ranked 72nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45% | 3.6% | 13.3% | 131 | — |
| Milborne St Andrew First School | — | 6.6% | 22.9% | 43 | 2.7 miles |
| Bere Regis Primary and Preschool | 45% | 5.6% | 21% | 119 | 3.5 miles |
| Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School | 67% | 5.1% | 30.6% | 208 | 4.5 miles |
| Cheselbourne Village School | — | 6.9% | 22.5% | 49 | 4.7 miles |
| Spetisbury CofE Primary School | 77% | 3.7% | 15.2% | 187 | 4.9 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)
- 13.27%
- English as an additional language
- 0.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.61%
- Persistent absence
- 7.21%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Milborne St Andrew First School2.7 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Bere Regis Primary and Preschool3.5 miles
Primary · Wareham
-
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School4.5 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Cheselbourne Village School4.7 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Spetisbury CofE Primary School4.9 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
Common questions
- What year groups does Dunbury Church of England Academy teach?
- Dunbury Church of England Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Winterborne Whitechurch.
- Who is the headteacher of Dunbury Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of Dunbury Church of England Academy is Mrs Emma Richardson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Dunbury Church of England Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Dunbury Church of England 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy?
- Dunbury Church of England Academy has 131 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Dunbury Church of England Academy full?
- Dunbury Church of England Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 131 on roll (62%), 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Dunbury Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Dunbury Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Dunbury Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Dunbury Church of England Academy?
- Dunbury Church of England 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 Dunbury Church of England Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 48% in 2022/23 and 45% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Dunbury Church of England Academy rank locally?
- Dunbury Church of England Academy ranked 72nd of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 91% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Dunbury Church of England Academy's absence rate?
- Dunbury Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Dunbury Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Dunbury Church of England 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.