Marshwood CofE Primary Academy

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy is performing at a level that requires improvement, reflecting ongoing challenges in the quality of education and leadership. While pupils exhibit good behavior and positive attitudes, the implementation of the new curriculum has not yet translated into improved outcomes across all subjects. The school has made strides in phonics and reading education, fostering a love of reading among pupils, but there are significant gaps in curriculum knowledge that need to be addressed. Although the school is part of a supportive multi-academy trust, the necessary changes are still in the early stages.

Strengths

• Pupils are confident, happy, and well-behaved.
• Staff nurture a love of reading in early years.
• Effective phonics teaching aids reading speed and accuracy.
• Supportive relationships are built between staff and pupils.
• The school offers a wide range of extracurricular activities.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent, affecting subject knowledge.
• Some learning activities do not effectively secure pupils' knowledge.
• Not all individual targets for SEND pupils are precise, leading to insufficient support.

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 Marshwood CofE Primary Academy attended 94.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.5% 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 Marshwood CofE Primary Academy 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 Marshwood CofE Primary Academy had 11.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.1% 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, 30.2% of pupils at Marshwood CofE Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 2024–25 Marshwood CofE Primary Academy received £11,635 and spent £11,598 for each of its 46 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £13,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Hawkchurch Church of England School Axminster
• Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Thorncombe
• Charmouth Primary School Bridport
• Axminster Community Primary Academy Axminster
• Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy Lyme Regis
• St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Axminster
• Membury Primary Academy Axminster
• Musbury Primary School Axminster
• Loders CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Colyton Primary Academy Colyton

What is Marshwood CofE Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Marshwood CofE Primary Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2024.

When was Marshwood CofE Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy was last inspected in June 2024.

How many pupils does Marshwood CofE Primary Academy have?

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy has 43 pupils on roll.

What age range does Marshwood CofE Primary Academy cover?

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Marshwood CofE Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Marshwood CofE Primary Academy?

Marshwood CofE Primary Academy is at Marshwood, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 5QA.