Parley First School
Glenmoor Road, Ferndown, BH22 8QE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SOUTHERN EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr J Bagwell
- Sponsor
- Delta Education Trust
- SEN provision
- SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 313
- URN
- 148162
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202874400
About this school
Parley First School is a primary academy in Ferndown. It teaches children aged 4 to 9 and has 313 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
Trends over time
How Parley 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 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 315 |
| 2023/24 | 312 |
| 2024/25 | 308 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Parley First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 64% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 4.9% | 12% | 313 | — |
| Ferndown First School | — | 6.2% | 18.6% | 348 | 0.7 miles |
| Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School | — | 5.6% | 12.6% | 134 | 1.4 miles |
| Kinson Academy | 65% | 5.1% | 48.5% | 179 | 1.8 miles |
| Christ The King Catholic Primary School | 15% | 5.9% | 20.9% | 302 | 2.0 miles |
| Oakhurst Community First School | — | 5.2% | 25.2% | 173 | 2.2 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
- 3 July 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report4 March 2020
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 12.01%
- English as an additional language
- 0.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.87%
- Persistent absence
- 10.84%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ferndown First School0.7 miles
Primary · Ferndown
-
Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School1.4 miles
Primary · Wimborne
-
Kinson Academy1.8 miles
Primary · Bournemouth
-
Christ The King Catholic Primary School2.0 miles
Primary · Bournemouth
-
Oakhurst Community First School2.2 miles
Primary · Ferndown
Other schools in Ferndown
- Ferndown First School Primary
- Oakhurst Community 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 year groups does Parley First School teach?
- Parley First School teaches children aged 4 to 9. It is a primary school in Ferndown.
- Who is the headteacher of Parley First School?
- The headteacher of Parley First School is Mr J Bagwell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Parley First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Parley 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 Parley First School?
- Parley First School has 313 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 9.
- Is Parley First School full?
- Parley First School has capacity for 315 pupils and 313 on roll (99%), 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 Parley First School a faith school?
- No. Parley First School has no designated religious character.
- Does Parley First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Parley First School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Parley First School?
- Parley 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 SEN provision does Parley First School have?
- The schools register lists Parley First School's special educational needs provision as: SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Parley First School's absence rate?
- Parley First School's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does Parley 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 Parley 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.