Parley First School

Parley First School demonstrates a solid performance across all key areas, achieving good ratings in overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school emphasizes an inclusive and ambitious curriculum that fosters a positive learning environment, encouraging pupils to develop independence and responsibility. Pupils express happiness and safety within the school, backed by a strong culture of reading and effective support for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is proud of its community roots and operates under the guidance of Castleman Academy Trust since its conversion to an academy in January 2021.

Strengths

• Pupils develop independence and responsibility.
• Strong focus on early reading and mathematics.
• Culture of reading is well established.
• Low levels of disruption and bullying are reported.
• Pastoral care is a recognized strength.
• Variety of extracurricular clubs and activities available.
• Strong relationships between adults and pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Some curriculum areas lack precise learning targets.
• Activities in early years sometimes do not match intended learning outcomes.
• Ineffective use of assessment in some subjects hinders accurate understanding of pupil progress.

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 Parley First School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.8% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Parley 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 Parley First School had 19.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.4% 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, 15.3% of pupils at Parley First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 4 pupils.

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 Parley First School received £8,007 and spent £9,039 for each of its 308 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £121,000 (£393 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of Southern Education Trust, income was £12,981 and spending £13,303 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

Parley First School is part of Southern Education Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Ferndown First School Ferndown
• Ferndown Middle School Ferndown
• Winton Primary School Bournemouth
• Broadstone Middle School Broadstone
• Broadstone First School Broadstone
• Harbour School Dorset
• Wyvern Academy Weymouth
• The Harbour School Portsmouth
• The Wymering School Portsmouth

What is Parley First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Parley First School is Good, from an inspection in September 2023.

When was Parley First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Parley First School was last inspected in September 2023.

How many pupils does Parley First School have?

Parley First School has 313 pupils on roll.

What age range does Parley First School cover?

Parley First School for pupils aged 4 to 9.

Where is Parley First School?

Parley First School is at Glenmoor Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8QE.