Oakhurst Community First School

Oakhurst Community First School is a small first school within The Heath Academy Trust, with pre-school and Nursery provision. Inspectors found it performing at the expected standard overall, with safeguarding requirements met. Its highly inclusive ethos is a notable strength: pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, access the same opportunities, achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics, and leave well prepared for the next stage. Phonics outcomes have improved over time, most pupils are confident readers by Year 4, and attendance is now at least national average, with persistent absence improving rapidly.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive approach ensures all pupils, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils, access the same opportunities.
• Strong teaching supports most pupils to secure the basics of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Improved phonics outcomes and most pupils becoming confident readers by the end of Year 4.
• All pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, achieve well in the Year 4 multiplication check.
• Strategic approach to attendance has brought it in line with national average and rapidly improved persistent absence.
• Consistently positive behaviour and attitudes; bullying rarely occurs and is resolved quickly when it does.
• High-quality pastoral care and appropriate adaptations for pupils with additional needs.
• Well-designed curriculum covering essential learning in reading, writing, mathematics and a wide range of other subjects.
• Reading is prioritised, with pupils developing a love of books and broadening their vocabulary.
• Strong early years provision with well-organised activities and effective early reading support.
• Effective leadership and governance, with clear strategic direction and active trust support.
• High-quality professional development and strong attention to staff wellbeing and workload.
• Meaningful relationships with parents and carers, who are overwhelmingly positive about the school.
• Well-organised personal development, including PSHE, assemblies, clubs and pupil leadership.
• Pupils feel safe and trust adults and the pastoral team to support them.

Areas for Improvement

• Early years staff interactions do not consistently support children's communication and language development.
• Some SEND support plan targets lack precision.
• Some curriculum adaptations for pupils with SEND do not always match their specific needs, slowing progress.
• Variability in how some pupils form letters and numbers correctly in written work.

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 Oakhurst Community First School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.7% 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 Oakhurst Community 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 Oakhurst Community First School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% 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, 20.2% of pupils at Oakhurst Community First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.6% 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 Oakhurst Community First School received £6,553 and spent £6,438 for each of its 175 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£544 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of The Heath Academy Trust, income was £7,083 and spending £6,778 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 Ferndown · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Oakhurst Community First School is part of The Heath Academy Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery Ferndown
• Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School Wimborne
• St Ives Primary & Nursery School Ringwood
• St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt Fordingbridge
• Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery Salisbury

What is Oakhurst Community First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Oakhurst Community First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Oakhurst Community First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Oakhurst Community First School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Oakhurst Community First School have?

Oakhurst Community First School has 173 pupils on roll.

What age range does Oakhurst Community First School cover?

Oakhurst Community First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Oakhurst Community First School?

Oakhurst Community First School is at Shaftesbury Road, West Moors, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 0DY.