Charmouth Primary School

Charmouth Primary School is a small, 81-pupil primary in The First Federation Trust, with much higher-than-average proportions of pupils with SEN support and EHC plans. Inspectors found safeguarding standards met and judged early years, inclusion, and personal development and wellbeing at the expected standard. Children get a secure start in early reading, writing and mathematics, and staff support pupils’ emotional needs with personalised plans and strong pastoral care. Pupils generally feel safe, behave well and benefit from a broad personal development offer. However, the school has significant areas needing attention. Achievement is inconsistent across ages and subjects, with weaknesses in writing, handwriting and spelling, and uneven curriculum sequencing. Teaching quality varies, assessment is not consistently used to build on prior learning, and some expectations are too low. Attendance remains below expected levels, with persistent absence high among disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and behaviour is improving but some parents and pupils report mixed experiences. Leaders know what needs to improve and are taking action in the right areas, but leadership staffing instability has slowed progress, and checks on teaching have not had the desired impact. Trustees provide oversight and support, and leaders are working to rebuild parental confidence after historical inclusion concerns. Overall, the school is improving but requires further work to ensure consistently strong achievement and attendance.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
• Early years provision is secure and prepares children well for Year 1.
• Children learn phonics confidently and build early reading, writing and mathematics knowledge.
• Inclusion is well led, with timely identification of barriers and personalised learning plans.
• Pastoral support for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs is strong and sensitive.
• Personal development and wellbeing are effectively supported through a broad curriculum.
• Pupils learn about mental health, safety, healthy relationships and life in modern Britain.
• Pupils are generally polite, behave well and have positive relationships with staff.
• Leaders show moral purpose, understand the school’s strengths and place pupils’ interests at the heart of decisions.
• Trustees provide clear oversight and leaders are considerate of staff workload and wellbeing.
• Leaders work well with external partners, trust schools and local hubs.
• Early reading and mathematics teaching for younger pupils is effective and precise.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is inconsistent across ages and subjects.
• Pupils’ writing, handwriting and spelling are not secure across the school.
• Curriculum sequencing in lower key stage 2 and foundation subjects is uneven.
• Teaching quality varies, with mixed subject knowledge and inconsistent use of assessment.
• Some reading texts are not well matched to pupils’ abilities.
• Expectations of pupils’ presentation and academic work are not consistently high.
• Attendance is below expected levels and persistent absence remains high.
• Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND do not attend regularly enough.
• Behaviour is improved but some parents and pupils report mixed experiences.
• Leadership staffing instability has slowed improvement.
• Leaders’ checks on teaching have not had the desired impact.
• Actions to improve attendance, behaviour, curriculum and achievement have limited impact.
• Parental confidence is varied, with some historical concerns about inclusion.
• The curriculum is limited for a few disadvantaged pupils in history and geography.

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 Charmouth Primary School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 22.9% 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, 6.2% of pupils at Charmouth Primary 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 Charmouth Primary School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.7% 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, 31.0% of pupils at Charmouth Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 11.3% 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 Charmouth Primary School received £8,721 and spent £9,095 for each of its 83 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £23,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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 Bridport · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Charmouth Primary School is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Mrs Ethelston's CofE Primary Academy Lyme Regis
• Marshwood CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Hawkchurch Church of England School Axminster
• Axminster Community Primary Academy Axminster
• Musbury Primary School Axminster
• Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy Thorncombe
• Colyton Primary Academy Colyton
• St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Axminster
• Loders CofE Primary Academy Bridport
• Membury Primary Academy Axminster

What is Charmouth Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Charmouth Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Charmouth Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Charmouth Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Charmouth Primary School have?

Charmouth Primary School has 71 pupils on roll.

What age range does Charmouth Primary School cover?

Charmouth Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Charmouth Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Charmouth Primary School?

Charmouth Primary School is at Lower Sea Lane, Charmouth, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 6LR.