Ferndown First School
Mountbatten Drive, Ferndown, BH22 9FB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SOUTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Sean Watts
- Sponsor
- Delta Education Trust
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 342
- Pupils on roll
- 348
- URN
- 148161
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202873747
About this school
Ferndown First School is a primary academy in Ferndown. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 348 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Ferndown 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 10 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How Ferndown 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 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 359 |
| 2023/24 | 343 |
| 2024/25 | 360 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Ferndown First School compares
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 | — | 6.2% | 18.6% | 348 | — |
| Parley First School | — | 4.9% | 12% | 313 | 0.7 miles |
| Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School | — | 5.6% | 12.6% | 134 | 1.4 miles |
| Oakhurst Community First School | — | 5.2% | 25.2% | 173 | 1.7 miles |
| St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery | — | 4.8% | 21.9% | 148 | 1.9 miles |
| Hayeswood First School | — | 3.8% | 7.8% | 148 | 2.3 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.61%
- English as an additional language
- 6.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.2%
- Persistent absence
- 17.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Parley First School0.7 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School1.4 miles
Primary · Wimborne
-
Oakhurst Community First School1.7 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery1.9 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
Hayeswood First School2.3 miles
Primary · Wimborne
Other schools in Ferndown
- Oakhurst Community First School Primary
- Parley First School Primary
- St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery Primary
- Ferndown Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- West Moors Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Ferndown Upper School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Ferndown First School teach?
- Ferndown First School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Ferndown.
- Who is the headteacher of Ferndown First School?
- The headteacher of Ferndown First School is Mr Sean Watts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Ferndown First School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Ferndown 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 Ferndown First School?
- Ferndown First School has 348 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Ferndown First School full?
- Ferndown First School has capacity for 342 pupils and 348 on roll (102%), 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 Ferndown First School a faith school?
- No. Ferndown First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Ferndown First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Ferndown First School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Ferndown First School part of an academy trust?
- Ferndown First School is part of SOUTHERN EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is Ferndown First School's absence rate?
- Ferndown First School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Ferndown 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 Ferndown 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 10 July 2026.