What ages does The Priory Church of England School teach?

The Priory Church of England School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Dorking.

Who is the headteacher of The Priory Church of England School?

The headteacher of The Priory Church of England School is Mrs Jo Trimnell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.

Has The Priory Church of England School been inspected?

Ofsted has not inspected The Priory Church of England School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.

How many pupils are at The Priory Church of England School?

The Priory Church of England School has 598 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.

Is The Priory Church of England School full?

The Priory Church of England School has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 598 on roll (60%), 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 The Priory Church of England School a faith school?

Yes. The Priory Church of England School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Guildford.

Is The Priory Church of England School a selective school?

No. The Priory Church of England School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.

Is The Priory Church of England School part of an academy trust?

The Priory Church of England School is part of ENLIGHTEN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.

What is The Priory Church of England School's absence rate?

The Priory Church of England School's overall absence rate is 10.9% in the latest published census.

What are The Priory Church of England School's exam results?

Where the Department for Education has published them, The Priory Church of England 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.

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Surrey
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The Priory Church of England School

The Priory Church of England School

West Bank, Dorking, RH4 3DG

Phase: Secondary
School type: Academy converter
Ages: 11 to 16
Gender: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Trust: ENLIGHTEN LEARNING TRUST
Headteacher: Mrs Jo Trimnell
Admissions policy: Non-selective
Diocese: Diocese of Guildford
Constituency: Dorking and Horley
Setting: Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Capacity: 1,000
Pupils on roll: 598
URN: 149318
Local authority: Surrey
Website: School website
Telephone: 01306887337

About this school

The Priory Church of England School is a Church of England secondary academy in Dorking. It teaches children aged 11 to 16 and has 598 pupils on roll.

Ofsted has not yet inspected The Priory Church of England School under its current framework. 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

The Priory Church of England School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in May 2024, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.

Exam results

Key stage 4 (GCSEs)

Measure	2024/25
Pupils at the end of key stage 4	113
Attainment 8 score	40.1
Progress 8 score	-
Grade 5 or above in English and maths	31%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths	53.1%
Entered the English Baccalaureate	15.9%
English Baccalaureate average point score	3.4

Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.

How The Priory Church of England School compares

The Priory Church of England School ranked 52nd of 54 secondary schools in Surrey for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.

School	Attainment 8 (2024/25)	Absence	FSM (6 years)	Pupils	Distance
This school	40.1	10.9%	18.8%	598	—
The Ashcombe School	57.1	7.3%	11.2%	1,533	1.0 miles
Howard of Effingham School	57.1	6.5%	9.7%	1,471	4.0 miles
St Andrew's Catholic School	—	—	—	1,594	5.3 miles
Therfield School	49	9.4%	22.3%	1,075	5.4 miles
Reigate School	52.4	7.7%	20.5%	1,252	6.4 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): 18.78%
English as an additional language: 6.7%
Overall absence: 10.9%
Persistent absence: 32.66%

Location

Nearby schools

The Ashcombe School
Secondary · Dorking

1.0 miles
Howard of Effingham School
Secondary · Leatherhead

4.0 miles
St Andrew's Catholic School
Secondary · Leatherhead

5.3 miles
Therfield School
Secondary · Leatherhead

5.4 miles
Reigate School
Secondary · Reigate

6.4 miles

Other schools in Dorking

The Ashcombe School Secondary
Dorking Nursery School Nursery
Newdigate CofE Endowed Aided Infant School Primary
Powell Corderoy Primary School Primary
Scott-Broadwood CofE Infant School Primary
St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
St Martin's CofE Primary School Primary
St Michael's CofE Aided Infant School Primary
St Paul's CofE Primary School Primary
Surrey Hills All Saints Primary School Primary
The Weald CofE Primary School Primary

Common questions

What ages does The Priory Church of England School teach?: The Priory Church of England School teaches children aged 11 to 16. It is a secondary school in Dorking.
Who is the headteacher of The Priory Church of England School?: The headteacher of The Priory Church of England School is Mrs Jo Trimnell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
Has The Priory Church of England School been inspected?: Ofsted has not inspected The Priory Church of England School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
How many pupils are at The Priory Church of England School?: The Priory Church of England School has 598 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 16.
Is The Priory Church of England School full?: The Priory Church of England School has capacity for 1,000 pupils and 598 on roll (60%), 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 The Priory Church of England School a faith school?: Yes. The Priory Church of England School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Guildford.
Is The Priory Church of England School a selective school?: No. The Priory Church of England School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
Is The Priory Church of England School part of an academy trust?: The Priory Church of England School is part of ENLIGHTEN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
How does The Priory Church of England School compare with other schools in Surrey?: The Priory Church of England School ranked 52nd of 54 secondary schools in Surrey for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
What is The Priory Church of England School's absence rate?: The Priory Church of England School's overall absence rate is 10.9% in the latest published census.
What are The Priory Church of England School's exam results?: Where the Department for Education has published them, The Priory Church of England 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.