Manor Park Church of England First School

Manor Park Church of England First School is performing well overall, demonstrating a strong standard of education with effective leadership that fosters a supportive learning environment. Notably, the school has a solid reputation among parents, who express satisfaction with the care and education their children receive. Pupils show confidence and achieve well across the curriculum, particularly in subjects such as phonics and art. However, some areas, particularly in mathematical knowledge and handwriting, require focused improvement to ensure all pupils reach their full potential.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on early reading and phonics.
• Pupils achieve well in phonics and reading.
• High-quality work produced in art.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Positive relationships and a calm environment prevailing throughout the school.
• Inclusive ethos where pupils feel they belong.

Areas for Improvement

• Some gaps in pupils' knowledge in mathematics, particularly multiplication.
• Handwriting and letter formation do not always meet expectations.
• Inconsistent application of support systems for pupils with SEND.

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 Manor Park Church of England First School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.0% 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, 0.5% of pupils at Manor Park 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 Manor Park Church of England First School had 21.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 19.4% of pupils at Manor Park Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% 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 Manor Park Church of England First School received £6,101 and spent £5,707 for each of its 422 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £248,000 (£588 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Wessex Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,381 and spending £7,135 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 Dorchester · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Manor Park Church of England First School is part of Wessex Multi Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• St Osmund's Church of England Middle School Dorchester
• Dorchester Middle School Dorchester
• The Thomas Hardye School Dorchester
• Damers First School Dorchester
• Frome Valley CofE First School Dorchester
• St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown Dorchester
• Puddletown Church of England First School Dorchester
• Piddle Valley Church of England First School Dorchester
• Milborne St Andrew First School Blandford Forum
• Bere Regis Primary and Preschool Wareham

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Manor Park Church of England First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in March 2026.

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

Manor Park Church of England First School was last inspected in March 2026.

How many pupils does Manor Park Church of England First School have?

Manor Park Church of England First School has 396 pupils on roll.

What age range does Manor Park Church of England First School cover?

Manor Park Church of England First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is Manor Park Church of England First School?

Manor Park Church of England First School is at Mellstock Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2BH.