Trinity Church of England First School

Trinity Church of England First School is a happy, nurturing school at the heart of its community, where pupils feel safe and valued and behave well. Inspectors found strong leadership, high expectations and effective teaching, with particularly impressive personal development provision and a wide range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities. Reading is taught well and children get a firm foundation in the early years, while staff training, trust support and governance are notable strengths. The school has some areas to refine. A very small number of pupils with more complex needs have not reached their full potential because bespoke curriculums are not yet fully embedded. In addition, a small number of pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged can struggle with reading when books are too difficult, which can limit their access to other subjects; leaders are taking decisive action to help them catch up. This was the school’s first section 5 inspection since becoming an academy and since the pandemic, and it is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and the school is well placed to build on its strengths while addressing the remaining gaps.

Strengths

• Nurturing relationships between staff and pupils create a happy, safe environment
• Pupils quickly learn expected behaviour and behave well in lessons and social times
• Personal development provision is exceptional, with rich clubs, trips and leadership roles
• Reading is taught well, with strong phonics outcomes and early identification of pupils falling behind
• Early years provision gives children a firm foundation for key stage 1
• High-quality training, coaching and mentoring help staff become confident, effective teachers
• Strong governance rigorously holds leaders to account and knows the school well
• Trust leaders provide valuable support and staff feel highly valued
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Bespoke curriculums for the very small number of pupils with more complex needs are not yet fully embedded, so these pupils have not always reached their full potential
• A small number of pupils with SEND or who are disadvantaged can struggle with reading because books are too difficult, limiting their fluency and access to other subjects

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 Trinity Church of England First School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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 Trinity 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 Trinity Church of England First School had 23.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 8.6% of pupils at Trinity Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Trinity Church of England First School received £7,459 and spent £7,203 for each of its 117 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £125,000 (£1,065 per pupil).

Across all 28 schools of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, income was £7,549 and spending £7,556 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.

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Trinity Church of England First School is part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, which runs 28 schools. The nearest others:

• Cranborne Church of England First School Wimborne
• Wimborne St Giles Church of England First School and Nursery Wimborne
• St James Church of England First School Wimborne
• Broad Chalke CofE Primary School Salisbury
• Spetisbury CofE Primary School Blandford Forum
• Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School Blandford Forum
• Milldown CofE Academy Blandford Forum
• Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School Blandford Forum
• Wilton CofE Primary School Salisbury
• St Martin's CofE Primary School Salisbury

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Trinity Church of England First School is Good, from an inspection in April 2025.

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

Trinity Church of England First School was last inspected in April 2025.

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

Trinity Church of England First School has 128 pupils on roll.

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

Trinity Church of England First School for pupils aged 4 to 9.

Where is Trinity Church of England First School?

Trinity Church of England First School is at Coopers Lane, Verwood, Dorset, BH31 7PG.