Merley First School
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 5-9 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Oakley Straight Merley Wimborne Dorset BH21 1SD |
| Reference Number | 141794 |
Merley First School is performing well overall, achieving good ratings in the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management, while demonstrating outstanding performance in personal development and early years provision. The recent inspection marks the school's first evaluation as an academy, having not been previously assessed since its conversion in 2020. The school's curriculum is well-sequenced, allowing pupils to establish strong foundational skills, particularly in early years education where children thrive through carefully structured learning experiences.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 287 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.31%
Girls: 46.69% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 10.1% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 1.7% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 28.4 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 27.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| 2 | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| 3 | 32 | 30 | 62 |
| 4 | 31 | 28 | 59 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 90.9% |
| White, Other | 2.1% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.7% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.4% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1% |
| Unclassified | 1% |
| White & Asian | 0.7% |
| Indian | 0.3% |
| African | 0.3% |
| Asian, Other | 0.3% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| > Quality of education | Good |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Outstanding |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Outstanding |
| Last Report Date | 29 Nov 2023 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 29 Nov 2023 | School inspection: |
| 04 Mar 2015 | Academy conversion letter |
| 12 Jul 2011 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Merley First School | |
| 12 Jul 2011 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Jul 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Jul 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 10 Jan 2005 | Full inspection |
| 10 Jan 2005 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Strong focus on personal development fostering respectful and responsible citizens.
- Effective early years provision that nurtures resilience and independence.
- Supportive staff who prioritize mental health and well-being.
- Enthusiastic pupil engagement and leadership in school activities.
- Successful implementation of phonics and reading strategies.
- Positive behaviour management leading to a calm and orderly environment.
Areas for Improvement
- Wider subject curriculums for pupils in Years 1 to 4 are not as well developed.
- Assessment not effectively used in some subjects, affecting knowledge retention.
Ofsted Parent View
The latest published parent view scores are from 2018. Ofsted only publish scores if there have been more than 10 responses to the survey.
| Strongly Agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | Don't Know | Total Responses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. My child is happy at this school | 45 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| 2. My child feels safe at this school | 46 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 59 |
| 3. My child makes good progress at this school | 33 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 59 |
| 4. My child is well looked after at this school | 45 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 59 |
| 5. My child is taught well at this school | 35 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 59 |
| 6. My child receives appropriate homework for their age | 21 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 59 |
| 7. This school makes sure its pupils are well behaved | 34 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 59 |
| 8. This school deals effectively with bullying | 24 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 59 |
| 9. This school is well led and managed | 27 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 59 |
| 10. This school responds well to any concerns I raise | 28 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 59 |
| 11. I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress | 32 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 59 |
| 12. Would you recommend this school to another parent? | 55 | 4 |
2025 Admissions
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 20 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 11 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 10 | 5 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne
St John's Hill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1BX |
1.01 miles |
|
Allenbourn Middle School
East Borough, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1PL |
1.31 miles |
|
Wimborne First School and Nursery
Campanula Way, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4FW |
1.39 miles |
|
Broadstone Middle School
Dunyeats Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8AE |
1.59 miles |
|
St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill
Colehill Lane, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7AB |
1.65 miles |
|
Hayeswood First School
Cutlers Place, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2HN |
1.7 miles |
|
Broadstone First School
Tudor Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 8AA |
1.83 miles |
|
Colehill First School
Pilford Heath Road, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2LZ |
1.86 miles |
|
Bearwood Primary and Nursery School
Barons Road, Bearwood, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9UN |
1.89 miles |
|
Dumpton School
Deans Grove House, Wimborne, BH21 7AF |
1.89 miles |
|
Lockyer's Middle School
Blandford Road, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3HQ |
2.02 miles |
|
Pamphill Church of England First School
Pamphill Green, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4EE |
2.09 miles |
|
Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School
Hampreston Village, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7LX |
2.14 miles |
|
Rushcombe First School
Hanham Road, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3PX |
2.26 miles |
|
Springdale First School
Springdale Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 9BW |
2.33 miles |
|
Henbury View First School
Hillside Road, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 3TR |
2.5 miles |
|
Ad Astra Infant School
Sherborn Crescent, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8AP |
2.51 miles |
|
Hillbourne Primary School
Kitchener Crescent, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7HX |
2.61 miles |
|
Haymoor Junior School
Ashdown Close, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8WG |
2.65 miles |
|
Castle Court School
|
2.8 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Canford School
Canford Magna, Wimborne, BH21 3AD |
0.88 miles |
|
Beaucroft Foundation School
Wimborne Road, Colehill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2SS |
1.49 miles |
|
The White House School
170 Magna Road, Poole, Dorset, BH21 3AP |
1.58 miles |
|
Corfe Hills School
Higher Blandford Road, Broadstone, Dorset, BH18 9BG |
1.83 miles |
|
Queen Elizabeth's School
Blandford Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4DT |
1.94 miles |
|
Poole Grammar School
Gravel Hill, Poole, Dorset, BH17 9JU |
2.18 miles |
|
Montacute School
3 Canford Heath Road, Poole, Dorset, BH17 9NG |
2.44 miles |
|
Magna Academy
Ashdown Close, Adastral Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8RE |
2.58 miles |
|
LeAF Studio
Holloway Avenue, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9JW |
2.68 miles |
|
Oak Academy
Duck Lane, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH11 9JJ |
2.8 miles |
|
Parkstone Grammar School
Sopers Lane, Poole, Dorset, BH17 7EP |
2.82 miles |
|
The Lion Works School
543 Wallisdown Road, Poole, Dorset, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5AD |
2.99 miles |
|
Winchelsea School
Guernsey Road, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4LL |
3.16 miles |
|
Longspee Academy
Learoyd Road, Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset, BH17 8PJ |
3.18 miles |
|
St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole
Dale Valley Road, Oakdale, Poole, Dorset, BH15 3HY |
3.33 miles |
|
Ferndown Upper School
Cherry Grove, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9EY |
3.39 miles |
|
St Aldhelm's Academy
Herbert Avenue, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4HS |
3.45 miles |
|
The Bourne Academy
Hadow Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH10 5HS |
3.74 miles |
|
Langside School
Langside Avenue, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH12 5BN |
4.03 miles |
|
The Bournemouth and Poole College
North Road, Poole, Dorset, BH14 0LS |
4.25 miles |