Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School
Birch Avenue, Blandford St Mary, Blandford Forum, DT11 9QD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rosaleen Beaver
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 208
- URN
- 141046
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258453331
About this school
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Blandford Forum. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 208 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 26 March 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 | 29 | 16 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 69% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 19% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 86% | 88% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 81% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 81% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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 Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary 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 | 66% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 189 |
| 2023/24 | 191 |
| 2024/25 | 206 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School compares
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School ranked 21st of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 5.1% | 30.6% | 208 | — |
| Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School | 64% | 6.5% | 27.9% | 411 | 0.8 miles |
| Milldown CofE Academy | 48% | 6.2% | 23.2% | 200 | 1.2 miles |
| Spetisbury CofE Primary School | 77% | 3.7% | 15.2% | 187 | 2.2 miles |
| Durweston Church of England Primary School | 80% | 6.8% | 10.6% | 144 | 2.5 miles |
| Downlands Community School | 42% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 201 | 2.8 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)
- 30.58%
- English as an additional language
- 3.9%
- Overall absence
- 5.07%
- Persistent absence
- 11.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Milldown CofE Academy1.2 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Spetisbury CofE Primary School2.2 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Durweston Church of England Primary School2.5 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Downlands Community School2.8 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
Other schools in Blandford Forum
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Blandford Forum.
- Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School Primary
- Downlands Community School Primary
- Durweston Church of England Primary School Primary
- Milborne St Andrew First School Primary
- Milldown CofE Academy Primary
- Pimperne Church of England VC Primary School Primary
- Shillingstone Church of England Primary School Primary
- Spetisbury CofE Primary School Primary
- St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford Primary
- The Blandford School Secondary
- The Forum Centre Local authority maintained schools
- The Forum School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School teach?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Blandford Forum.
- Who is the headteacher of Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School is Mrs Rosaleen Beaver, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary 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 Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School has 208 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School full?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 208 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School 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 Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School ranked 21st of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.1% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary 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 1 July 2026.