Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a small, inclusive primary school that is performing securely overall. Pupils feel safe, valued and well cared for, and behaviour is strong: bullying is extremely rare, relationships are positive, and attendance is in line with national averages. The school’s Christian ethos and close-knit community underpin daily life, and pupils benefit from a broad personal development programme, a wide range of extra-curricular activities and good pastoral support. Early years provision is nurturing, with systematic phonics teaching and effective support for children with SEND.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, valued and fully included in a close-knit Christian community
• Behaviour is calm and respectful, with extremely rare incidents of bullying
• Attendance is in line with national averages and leaders intervene early
• Phonics teaching is systematic and effective, with strong Year 1 screening outcomes
• Pupils typically achieve above national averages in writing and mathematics by Year 6
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make appropriate progress from their starting points
• Early years provision is nurturing and supports a smooth transition into school
• Leaders have a clear vision and identify the right priorities for improvement
• Staff feel well supported, and governors consider workload and wellbeing thoroughly
• Pupils benefit from rich extra-curricular experiences, trips and leadership roles

Areas for Improvement

• Published reading outcomes are lower than national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils
• The reading curriculum in key stage 2 needs further strengthening so all pupils develop fluency, vocabulary and comprehension securely
• Some lesson activities do not consistently build on what pupils already know, limiting how much some pupils learn
• A small proportion of pupils are not always given activity choices that develop their knowledge as effectively as they could
• Governors’ challenge is not consistently robust across all areas they monitor
• Leaders should use information they gather more precisely to evaluate the impact of improvement strategies

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 Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 95.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.6% 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 Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 19.4 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, 20.5% of pupils at Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School received £7,166 and spent £7,415 for each of its 132 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £17,000 (-£132 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 Dorset · Dorset local authority: places and applications

What is Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 132 pupils on roll.

What age range does Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at Fairoak Way, Mosterton, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3JQ.