The Prince of Wales School

The Prince of Wales School is a happy, inclusive first school where pupils feel safe, supported and valued. Inspectors found an ambitious curriculum, high expectations and exceptionally strong behaviour, with pupils showing respect and impeccable manners. Children get an exceptional start in the early years, reading is a sharp focus, and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified swiftly and supported well, including through the specially resourced provision. Personal development is a particular strength, with a rich wider offer of clubs, trips, pupil leadership and cultural experiences. Leadership and governance are effective, staff feel supported, and safeguarding is effective. The main area for improvement is assessment in a minority of subjects. Checks on learning are not used as skillfully in these subjects, so gaps in pupils' knowledge are not identified quickly enough and some pupils do not have secure foundations for new learning. Otherwise, the school performs strongly across its provision. It is a community first school for pupils aged 2 to 9, with pre-school and before- and after-school clubs, and it was previously judged good.

Strengths

• Nurturing relationships and an inclusive culture help pupils feel safe, supported and attend well.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well and show impeccable manners and respect.
• An ambitious curriculum and high expectations, including for pupils with SEND, help most pupils achieve well.
• Children get an exceptional start in the early years, settling quickly and showing impressive concentration and perseverance.
• A sharp focus on reading and phonics helps most pupils learn to read quickly, with effective support for those who need extra help.
• Pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and supported highly effectively, including in the specially resourced provision.
• The school has an exceptional wider development offer, including clubs, trips, pupil leadership and cultural experiences.
• Regular checks on learning and innovative recall strategies help pupils revisit and connect key knowledge in many subjects.
• Skilled governors provide appropriate support and challenge, and staff feel supported.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a minority of subjects, assessment does not identify pupils' knowledge gaps quickly enough, leaving some pupils without secure foundations for new learning.

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 The Prince of Wales School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at The Prince of Wales 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 The Prince of Wales School had 21.7 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, 21.8% of pupils at The Prince of Wales School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 5 pupils.

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 The Prince of Wales School received £10,692 and spent £11,102 for each of its 156 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £30,000 (-£192 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 Dorchester · Dorset local authority: places and applications

What is The Prince of Wales School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Prince of Wales School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was The Prince of Wales School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Prince of Wales School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does The Prince of Wales School have?

The Prince of Wales School has 156 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Prince of Wales School cover?

The Prince of Wales School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is The Prince of Wales School?

The Prince of Wales School is at Maiden Castle Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2HH.