St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne

St John’s Church of England First School is performing well overall, receiving a 'Good' rating in all inspected areas. This marks the school's first inspection since it became an academy, following a previous outstanding judgement when it was a voluntary controlled school. The school is noted for its strong educational ethos centered around values such as love, friendship, and forgiveness, which are integral to daily life and foster a positive learning environment. Pupils demonstrate high levels of respect and engagement, contributing to a harmonious school culture.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe and demonstrate positive behaviour.
• Curriculum knowledge is well sequenced and effective in subjects like mathematics and science.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs, with tailored learning plans.
• Leaders prioritize reading and have implemented a successful phonics programme.
• Parents express overwhelming positivity about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment is not always effectively used to match learning to pupil needs.
• Subject leadership varies, with some areas needing clearer implementation 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 St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.2% 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, 3.5% of pupils at St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 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 St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne had 20.5 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, 20.3% of pupils at St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne received £6,892 and spent £6,615 for each of its 141 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £29,000 (£205 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Initio Learning Trust, income was £7,286 and spending £7,320 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 Wimborne · Dorset local authority: places and applications

St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne is part of Initio Learning Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Allenbourn Middle School Wimborne
• St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill Wimborne
• Merley First School Wimborne
• Queen Elizabeth's School Wimborne
• Hayeswood First School Wimborne
• Colehill First School Wimborne
• Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne
• Lockyer's Middle School Wimborne
• Corfe Hills School Broadstone
• Witchampton Church of England First School Wimborne

What is St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne have?

St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne has 148 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne cover?

St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne?

St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne is at St John's Hill, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 1BX.