Somerford Primary School

Somerford Primary School is a small primary school in Christchurch with a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school performs at the expected standard in attendance and behaviour, early years, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing. Attendance has improved markedly and is now in line with the national average, persistent absence has reduced considerably, and behaviour is well managed with rare disruption and fewer suspensions. Early years is a clear strength, inclusion sits at the school's core, and pastoral support is extensive and effective.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where concerns are actively identified and managed.
• Attendance has improved markedly and is now in line with national averages, with persistent absence much reduced.
• Behaviour is well managed, with suspensions decreased markedly and lesson disruption now rare.
• The early years curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced, preparing children well for Year 1.
• Inclusion is at the school's core, with particularly effective support for young carers and pupils known to social care.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used wisely, helping to close learning gaps.
• SEND identification and assessment are accurate, and the Forest Den provision effectively supports pupils at risk of permanent exclusion.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with extensive pastoral support and bespoke therapies.
• The PSHE, RSE and health education curriculums cover essential safety, relationship and health knowledge.
• Pupils feel a strong sense of belonging, build trusted relationships and are respectful to one another.
• Leaders understand the school's context and have made effective improvements to early years and behaviour.
• Staff value leaders' focus on their wellbeing and workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' progress and attainment in key stages 1 and 2 are inconsistent, with published outcomes significantly below national averages in mathematics and writing.
• Pupils have gaps in knowledge and skills as a result of previous curriculums and teaching.
• Mathematical reasoning and problem-solving are not yet taught securely.
• Curriculum implementation is weak in some subjects and classes.
• Teaching of writing remains inconsistent, and some staff do not address pupils' misconceptions or have high enough expectations.
• Leaders' oversight of curriculum impact beyond English and mathematics is less secure.
• Some teaching activities do not enable pupils to learn the curriculum as intended.
• Governors have not consistently held leaders to account for raising academic standards.
• The school has not prepared pupils well enough for secondary school.
• The impact of improvement work on pupils' achievement is still inconsistent.
• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics needs to continue rising so pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are well prepared for the next stage of education.
• Leaders need to ensure all staff have expert subject knowledge in the subjects and phases they teach.
• Oversight of all aspects of curriculum implementation, including Forest Den and wider curriculum subjects, needs to be more stringent.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Somerford Primary School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 6.1% of pupils at Somerford Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Somerford Primary School had 16.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 26.6% of pupils at Somerford Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 10.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Somerford Primary School received £10,251 and spent £11,614 for each of its 169 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £293,000 (-£1,735 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Christchurch · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority: places and applications

What is Somerford Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Somerford Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Somerford Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Somerford Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Somerford Primary School have?

Somerford Primary School has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Somerford Primary School cover?

Somerford Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Somerford Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 41% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Somerford Primary School?

Somerford Primary School is at Draper Road, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 3AS.