Milldown CofE Academy
Milldown Road, Blandford Forum, DT11 7SN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF SALISBURY ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr James Law
- 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
- 200
- URN
- 146153
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01258452456
About this school
Milldown CofE Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Blandford Forum. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 200 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. 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
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 52 | 29 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 69% | 48% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 86% | 66% |
| Expected standard in maths | 77% | 72% | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 86% | 66% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 104.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.40 | - | - |
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 Milldown CofE Academy 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 | 58% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 48% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 231 |
| 2023/24 | 203 |
| 2024/25 | 207 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Milldown CofE Academy compares
Milldown CofE Academy ranked 65th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 48% | 6.2% | 23.2% | 200 | — |
| Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School | 64% | 6.5% | 27.9% | 411 | 0.8 miles |
| Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School | 67% | 5.1% | 30.6% | 208 | 1.2 miles |
| Durweston Church of England Primary School | 80% | 6.8% | 10.6% | 144 | 1.7 miles |
| Pimperne Church of England VC Primary School | 63% | 4.8% | 9.6% | 183 | 2.0 miles |
| Downlands Community School | 42% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 201 | 2.4 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)
- 23.19%
- English as an additional language
- 6.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.22%
- Persistent absence
- 16.39%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Durweston Church of England Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Pimperne Church of England VC Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
-
Downlands Community School2.4 miles
Primary · Blandford Forum
Other schools in Blandford Forum
Milldown CofE Academy ranks 7th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Blandford Forum.
- Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School Primary
- Downlands Community School Primary
- Durweston Church of England Primary School Primary
- Milborne St Andrew First School 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 Milldown CofE Academy teach?
- Milldown CofE Academy teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Blandford Forum.
- Who is the headteacher of Milldown CofE Academy?
- The headteacher of Milldown CofE Academy is Mr James Law, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Milldown CofE Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Milldown CofE Academy, 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 Milldown CofE Academy?
- Milldown CofE Academy has 200 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Milldown CofE Academy full?
- Milldown CofE Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 200 on roll (95%), 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 Milldown CofE Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Milldown CofE Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Milldown CofE Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Milldown CofE Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Milldown CofE Academy?
- Milldown CofE Academy 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 Milldown CofE Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 48% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Milldown CofE Academy rank locally?
- Milldown CofE Academy ranked 65th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 19% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Milldown CofE Academy's absence rate?
- Milldown CofE Academy's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Milldown CofE Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Milldown CofE Academy'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.