Witchampton Church of England First School

Witchampton Church of England First School has received a 'Good' rating in its first inspection since becoming an academy. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to its values of love, courage, inspiration, and respect, fostering a caring and community-oriented environment. Pupils, including those in the early years, benefit from nurturing relationships with staff and established routines that encourage positive behavior and engagement in learning. While the school excels in reading and mathematics, with a well-planned curriculum and strong subject knowledge among teachers, there are areas for improvement, particularly in the consistent application of behavior expectations across all classes.

Strengths

• Strong community ethos and caring environment.
• Pupils benefit from nurturing relationships with staff.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders promote a culture of inclusivity and acceptance.
• Highly engaged pupils who take on leadership roles.
• Strong subject knowledge among teachers, especially in mathematics.
• Prioritization of reading with regular storytime.
• Effective communication and support for parents.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent application of behavior expectations by staff.
• Limited development of assessment practices in the wider curriculum.

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 Witchampton Church of England First School attended 97.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.1% 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, 5.9% of pupils at Witchampton 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 Witchampton Church of England First School had 8.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 42.3% 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, 13.3% of pupils at Witchampton Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.7% 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 Witchampton Church of England First School received £10,262 and spent £9,512 for each of its 51 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £10,000 (£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

Witchampton Church of England First School is part of Initio Learning Trust, which runs 19 schools. The nearest others:

• Queen Elizabeth's School Wimborne
• Pamphill Church of England First School Wimborne
• St Michael's Church of England Middle School, Colehill Wimborne
• Allenbourn Middle School Wimborne
• St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne Wimborne
• Colehill First School Wimborne
• Hayeswood First School Wimborne
• Merley First School Wimborne
• Lockyer's Middle School Wimborne
• Verwood Church of England First School Verwood

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Witchampton Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

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

Witchampton Church of England First School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Witchampton Church of England First School have?

Witchampton Church of England First School has 45 pupils on roll.

What age range does Witchampton Church of England First School cover?

Witchampton Church of England First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Witchampton Church of England First School?

Witchampton Church of England First School is at Witchampton, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 5AP.