Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School
Buckland Newton, Dorchester, DT2 7BY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Phillip Sales
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- West Dorset
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 110
- URN
- 144413
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01300345393
About this school
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Dorchester. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 110 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 no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 14 | 14 | 17 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 79% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 14% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 93% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 93% | 100% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 93% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 108.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 109.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.90 | - | - |
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 Buckland Newton 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 | 57% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 118 |
| 2023/24 | 113 |
| 2024/25 | 109 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School compares
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School ranked 11th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 4.4% | 14.7% | 110 | — |
| Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School | — | 3.2% | 10.3% | 77 | 3.1 miles |
| Piddle Valley Church of England First School | — | 17.1% | 20.5% | 40 | 3.8 miles |
| Hazelbury Bryan Primary School | 61% | 3.1% | 19% | 114 | 4.2 miles |
| All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School | — | — | — | 130 | 4.8 miles |
| Cheselbourne Village School | — | 6.9% | 22.5% | 49 | 5.3 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)
- 14.74%
- English as an additional language
- 1.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.39%
- Persistent absence
- 10%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School3.1 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Piddle Valley Church of England First School3.8 miles
Primary · Dorchester
-
Hazelbury Bryan Primary School4.2 miles
Primary · Sturminster Newton
-
All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School4.8 miles
Primary · Sherborne
-
Cheselbourne Village School5.3 miles
Primary · Dorchester
Other schools in Dorchester
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School ranks 2nd of the 7 ranked primary schools in Dorchester.
- Broadmayne First 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
- 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 year groups does Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School teach?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Dorchester.
- Who is the headteacher of Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School is Mr Phillip Sales, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Buckland Newton 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 Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School has 110 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School full?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School has capacity for 105 pupils and 110 on roll (105%), so it is at or above 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 Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School is part of SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Buckland Newton 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 57% in 2022/23 and 71% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School ranked 11th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Buckland Newton 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 10 July 2026.