St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Station Road, West Moors, Ferndown, BH22 0JF
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Crossley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 184
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 142514
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202874838
About this school
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is a Church of England primary academy in Ferndown. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 148 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery, 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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Trends over time
How St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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 | 6.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 162 |
| 2023/24 | 158 |
| 2024/25 | 136 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery 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 | — | 4.8% | 21.9% | 148 | — |
| Oakhurst Community First School | — | 5.2% | 25.2% | 173 | 0.6 miles |
| Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School | — | 7.8% | 20.7% | 84 | 1.8 miles |
| Ferndown First School | — | 6.2% | 18.6% | 348 | 1.9 miles |
| Parley First School | — | 4.9% | 12% | 313 | 2.5 miles |
| St Ives Primary & Nursery School | 90% | 3.5% | 7.4% | 245 | 2.9 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 21.85%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.78%
- Persistent absence
- 12.24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Oakhurst Community First School0.6 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School1.8 miles
Primary · Wimborne
-
Ferndown First School1.9 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
Parley First School2.5 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
St Ives Primary & Nursery School2.9 miles
Primary · Ringwood
Other schools in Ferndown
- Ferndown First School Primary
- Oakhurst Community First School Primary
- Parley First School Primary
- Ferndown Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- West Moors Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Ferndown Upper School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery teach?
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Ferndown.
- Who is the headteacher of St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
- The headteacher of St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is Mrs Laura Crossley, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery, 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 St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery?
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery full?
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery has capacity for 184 pupils and 148 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 St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery a faith school?
- Yes. St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery as having nursery classes.
- Is St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery part of an academy trust?
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery is part of THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's absence rate?
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery. 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.