Puddletown Church of England First School
Dorchester Road, Puddletown, Dorchester, DT2 8FZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- WESSEX MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Anna Seal
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Sponsor
- Wessex Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- North Dorset
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 134
- URN
- 141806
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01305848206
About this school
Puddletown Church of England First School is a Church of England primary academy in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 134 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 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How Puddletown Church of England 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 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 137 |
| 2023/24 | 137 |
| 2024/25 | 135 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Puddletown Church of England First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 74% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.4% | 11.1% | 134 | — |
| Frome Valley CofE First School | — | 4.7% | 23.3% | 141 | 3.2 miles |
| Milborne St Andrew First School | — | 6.6% | 22.9% | 43 | 3.4 miles |
| Cheselbourne Village School | — | 6.9% | 22.5% | 49 | 3.7 miles |
| Broadmayne First School | — | 5.7% | 9.5% | 139 | 4.6 miles |
| Piddle Valley Church of England First School | — | 17.1% | 20.5% | 40 | 4.6 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)
- 11.11%
- English as an additional language
- 4.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.4%
- Persistent absence
- 9.57%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Frome Valley CofE First School3.2 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Milborne St Andrew First School3.4 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Cheselbourne Village School3.7 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Broadmayne First School4.6 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Piddle Valley Church of England First School4.6 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
- Frome Valley CofE 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
- 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 year groups does Puddletown Church of England First School teach?
- Puddletown Church of England First School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Puddletown Church of England First School?
- The headteacher of Puddletown Church of England First School is Mrs Anna Seal, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Puddletown Church of England First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England First School?
- Puddletown Church of England First School has 134 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Puddletown Church of England First School full?
- Puddletown Church of England First School has capacity for 150 pupils and 134 on roll (89%), 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 Puddletown Church of England First School a faith school?
- Yes. Puddletown Church of England First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Puddletown Church of England First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Puddletown Church of England First School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Puddletown Church of England First School?
- Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England First School's absence rate?
- Puddletown Church of England First School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Puddletown Church of England 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 Puddletown Church of England 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 2 July 2026.