The Priory Church of England School
The Priory Church of England School is an academy converter in Dorking for pupils aged 11 to 16. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 598 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for The Priory Church of England School is Good, from an inspection in March 2019 of its predecessor, The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School. In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.9, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE. Many teachers don't stay: 36% of its teachers had left the school a year later (in 2024/25), against 14% nationally.
Ofsted inspection: May 2024. GCSE results: 2026.
| Type | Secondary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 11-16 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | West Bank Dorking Surrey RH4 3DG |
| Phone | 01306887337 |
| Reference Number | 149318 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 598 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 47.83%
Girls: 52.17% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 17.7% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 5.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 26.2 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 36 | 59 | 95 |
| 8 | 63 | 73 | 136 |
| 9 | 64 | 60 | 124 |
| 10 | 65 | 58 | 123 |
| 11 | 58 | 62 | 120 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 84.8% |
| White, Other | 4.3% |
| Indian | 2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.5% |
| Mixed, Other | 1.3% |
| White & Asian | 1.2% |
| Unclassified | 1% |
| Asian, Other | 1% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.5% |
| African | 0.5% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Caribbean | 0.2% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School, inspected in March 2019.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 08 May 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 39.9 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 31.7% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 50.8% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
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See how The Priory Church of England School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Year 7 admissions, 2026 entry
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 115 | 22 |
| Third Preference | 28 | 3 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
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In 2024–25 The Priory Church of England School had 647 pupils for 1,051 places. 404 places (38.4%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Year 7 intake in the “Dorking Secondary” planning area
Surrey counted 392 Year 7 pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 350 in 2031–32, down 11%.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Places | 1,051 | 1,051 |
| Pupils | 634 | 647 |
| Unfilled | 39.7% | 38.4% |
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 The Priory Church of England School attended 89.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 32.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 6.5% |
| Unauthorised absence | 4.4% |
| Severely absent pupils | 5.4% |
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, 10.1% of pupils at The Priory Church of England School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 22.4 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 |
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 The Priory Church of England School had 18.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 36.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 12.2 | 13.1 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 25.6% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 61.4% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 4.7 | – |
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, 9.5% of pupils at The Priory Church of England School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 8.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 19 | 20 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 10 | 15 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 19 | 5 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 4 | 5 |
| Other difficulty or disability | 3 | 2 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 1 | 3 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.
In 2024–25 The Priory Church of England School received £7,904 and spent £7,828 for each of its 672 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £895,000 (£1,331 per pupil).
Across all 5 schools of Enlighten Learning Trust, income was £7,626 and spending £7,438 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £895,000 |
| per pupil | £1,331 |
| In-year balance | £51,000 |
| per pupil | £76 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
Powell Corderoy Primary School
Longfield Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 3DF |
0.15 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Norfolk Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 3JA |
0.25 miles |
|
Dorking Nursery School
West Street, Dorking, RH4 1BY |
0.37 miles |
|
St Paul's CofE Primary School
St Paul's Road West, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 2HS |
0.59 miles |
|
St Martin's CofE Primary School
Ranmore Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1HW |
0.71 miles |
|
Surrey Hills All Saints Primary School
School Lane, Westcott, Dorking, RH4 3QF |
0.82 miles |
|
St John's Church of England Primary School
Goodwyns Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 2LR |
0.97 miles |
|
North Downs Primary School
Wheelers Lane, Brockham, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7LA |
2.51 miles |
|
Polesden Lacey Infant Academy
Oakdene Close, Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT23 4PT |
3.32 miles |
|
The Weald CofE Primary School
Newdigate Road, Beare Green, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 4QW |
3.81 miles |
|
Great Bookham School
Griffin Way, Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT23 4JJ |
3.82 miles |
|
Manor House School
Manor House Lane, Leatherhead, KT23 4EN |
3.88 miles |
|
St Lawrence Primary School
Lower Road, Effingham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT24 5JP |
4.06 miles |
|
Eastwick Infant School
Eastwick Drive, Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT23 3PP |
4.14 miles |
|
Eastwick Junior School
Eastwick Drive, Great Bookham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT23 3PP |
4.14 miles |
|
Oakfield Junior School
Bell Lane, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 9ND |
4.42 miles |
|
Fetcham Village Infant School
School Lane, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 9JU |
4.49 miles |
|
Newdigate CofE Endowed Aided Infant School
Village Street, Newdigate, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5DJ |
4.79 miles |
|
Peaslake Free School
Colmans Hill, Peaslake, Guildford, Surrey, GU5 9ST |
4.84 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
The Ashcombe School
Ashcombe Road, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1LY |
0.96 miles |
|
Unified Academy
Chart Lane South, Dorking, RH5 4DB |
1.03 miles |
|
St Teresa's School
Effingham Hill, Dorking, RH5 6ST |
2.81 miles |
|
RGS Surrey Hills
London Road, Dorking, RH5 6EA |
2.98 miles |
|
Leith Hill School
Pasture Wood Road, Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, RH5 6LQ |
3.82 miles |
|
Howard of Effingham School
Lower Road, Effingham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT24 5JR |
3.96 miles |
|
Aurora Poppyfield School
Lower Road, Effingham, KT24 5JP |
4.02 miles |
|
Papillon House
Pebble Close, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 7PA |
4.16 miles |
|
Woodlands School
Fortyfoot Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8RY |
4.76 miles |
|
Moon Hall School, Reigate
Flanchford Road, Leigh, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8RE |
4.81 miles |
|
Elysian, West Horsley
Hillside Farm, Shere Road, West Horsley, Elysian West Horsley, Shere Rd, Leatherhead, Surrey Kt24 6er, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT24 6ER |
4.82 miles |
|
St John's School
Epsom Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8SP |
4.92 miles |
All schools in Dorking · Surrey local authority: places and applications
The Priory Church of England School is part of Enlighten Learning Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:
What is The Priory Church of England School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for The Priory Church of England School is Good, from an inspection in March 2019 of its predecessor, The Priory CofE Voluntary Aided School.
When was The Priory Church of England School last inspected by Ofsted?
The Priory Church of England School was last inspected in May 2024.
How many pupils does The Priory Church of England School have?
The Priory Church of England School has 598 pupils on roll.
What age range does The Priory Church of England School cover?
The Priory Church of England School for pupils aged 11 to 16.
What are The Priory Church of England School's GCSE results?
In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.9, and 32% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.
Where is The Priory Church of England School?
The Priory Church of England School is at West Bank, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 3DG.