Piddle Valley Church of England First School

Piddle Valley Church of England First School is demonstrating good overall effectiveness and is undergoing significant improvement since the recent appointment of new leadership. The school's quality of education is strong, with an effective curriculum and high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. There is a strong emphasis on reading and writing, which has led to improved outcomes for students. The school's caring and inclusive environment contributes to pupils' positive attitudes and engagement in learning. Despite some past concerns regarding community engagement, the current leadership has made strides to rebuild trust and collaboration with local families.

Strengths

• Children thrive from the moment they arrive in Nursery.
• Staff know pupils individually and link learning to their interests.
• High-quality reading program supports pupils' love for reading.
• Effective curriculum promotes meaningful learning across subjects.
• Strong emphasis on early years education prepares children well for key stage 1.
• Pupils feel happy, safe, and well cared for at school.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack refined planning, hindering deeper understanding.
• Gaps in basic knowledge of mathematics affect learning.
• Historical weaknesses in community engagement still impact some parents' perceptions.

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 Piddle Valley Church of England First School attended 82.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 25.0% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Piddle Valley Church of England First 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 Piddle Valley Church of England First School had 11.1 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, 25.0% of pupils at Piddle Valley Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% 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 Piddle Valley Church of England First School received £11,582 and spent £11,531 for each of its 44 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £253,000 (£5,743 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Wessex Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,381 and spending £7,135 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 Dorchester · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Piddle Valley Church of England First School is part of Wessex Multi Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown Dorchester
• Puddletown Church of England First School Dorchester
• Damers First School Dorchester
• Milborne St Andrew First School Blandford Forum
• Dorchester Middle School Dorchester
• The Thomas Hardye School Dorchester
• St Osmund's Church of England Middle School Dorchester
• Manor Park Church of England First School Dorchester
• Frome Valley CofE First School Dorchester
• Bere Regis Primary and Preschool Wareham

What is Piddle Valley Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Piddle Valley Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in January 2024.

When was Piddle Valley Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Piddle Valley Church of England First School was last inspected in January 2024.

How many pupils does Piddle Valley Church of England First School have?

Piddle Valley Church of England First School has 40 pupils on roll.

What age range does Piddle Valley Church of England First School cover?

Piddle Valley Church of England First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Piddle Valley Church of England First School?

Piddle Valley Church of England First School is at Piddletrenthide, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7QL.