Frome Valley CofE First School
School Drive, Crossways, Dorchester, DT2 8WR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Clare Moore
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Wessex Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- South Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 177
- Pupils on roll
- 141
- URN
- 141777
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01305852643
About this school
Frome Valley CofE First School is a Church of England primary academy in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 141 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Frome Valley CofE First School, and its latest judgement is set out 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Frome Valley CofE 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 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 164 |
| 2023/24 | 160 |
| 2024/25 | 154 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Frome Valley CofE First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.7% | 23.3% | 141 | — |
| Broadmayne First School | — | 5.7% | 9.5% | 139 | 2.3 miles |
| Puddletown Church of England First School | — | 4.4% | 11.1% | 134 | 3.2 miles |
| Bovington Academy | 71% | 5.3% | 19% | 180 | 3.8 miles |
| Manor Park Church of England First School | — | 5.5% | 17.3% | 396 | 4.2 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester | — | 5.4% | 9.3% | 177 | 4.3 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 23.33%
- English as an additional language
- 1.9%
- Overall absence
- 4.7%
- Persistent absence
- 15.24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Broadmayne First School2.3 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Puddletown Church of England First School3.2 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Bovington Academy3.8 miles
Primary · Wareham
-
Manor Park Church of England First School4.2 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester4.3 miles
Primary · Dorchester
Other schools in Dorchester
- Broadmayne First School Primary
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School Primary
- Cheselbourne Village School Primary
- Damers First School Primary
- Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Manor Park Church of England First School Primary
- Piddle Valley Church of England First School Primary
- Puddletown Church of England First School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester Primary
- St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster Primary
- Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Frome Valley CofE First School teach?
- Frome Valley CofE First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Frome Valley CofE First School?
- The headteacher of Frome Valley CofE First School is Mrs Clare Moore, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Frome Valley CofE First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Frome Valley CofE 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 many pupils are at Frome Valley CofE First School?
- Frome Valley CofE First School has 141 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is Frome Valley CofE First School full?
- Frome Valley CofE First School has capacity for 177 pupils and 141 on roll (80%), 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 Frome Valley CofE First School a faith school?
- Yes. Frome Valley CofE First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Frome Valley CofE First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Frome Valley CofE First School as having nursery classes.
- Is Frome Valley CofE First School part of an academy trust?
- Frome Valley CofE First School is part of WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Frome Valley CofE First School's absence rate?
- Frome Valley CofE First School's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Frome Valley CofE 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 Frome Valley CofE 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 1 July 2026.