Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School is a small, friendly village school in Dorset and part of the Hamwic Education Trust. Inspectors found a nurturing and inclusive school where pupils are happy, feel safe and attend well, and safeguarding standards are met. Early years provision is a notable strength, with children getting off to a flying start, while most other areas are secure and performing as expected. The school has clear strengths in phonics, reading and mathematics, with Year 1 phonics and Year 4 times-table outcomes well above national averages. Pupils build secure knowledge across the wider curriculum, benefit from a broad personal-development programme and have good access to leadership and enrichment opportunities. Leaders, trust and governors provide effective support and challenge, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are generally well supported. There are still areas to improve. Teaching quality and expectations are not consistently high, assessment is not always used sharply enough to adapt tasks, and some adaptations for pupils with SEND do not fully meet individual needs. A small number of parents raised concerns about staff turbulence and communication, and leaders have identified clearer communication and more consistent teaching as priorities for the next stage of improvement.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a flying start through precise phonics, language and mathematical foundations.
• Year 1 phonics and Year 4 times-table outcomes are well above national averages.
• Pupils’ knowledge across the wider curriculum is secure, including in science, history and geography.
• The school is nurturing, with warm daily welcomes, positive behaviour and rare bullying.
• Attendance is good and leaders monitor early dips to support families.
• Inclusion is effective, with strong oversight and support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Pupil premium funding is used well to widen access and raise achievement.
• Personal development is broad, with rich leadership, enrichment and community opportunities.
• Trust and governance provide effective support and challenge.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality and expectations are not consistently high across all classes.
• Assessment information is not always used sharply enough to adapt tasks in lessons.
• Some adaptations for pupils with SEND do not fully meet individual needs, holding back a small minority.
• Not all groups of pupils consistently produce high-quality work across the wider curriculum.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning can dip when teaching is less effective.
• Some parents have raised concerns about staff turbulence and communication.
• Tracking of personal development and enrichment participation is not yet sufficiently developed.
• Leaders need to improve communication and understanding of the school’s work with parents and the wider community.

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 Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided 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 Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School had 20.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.7% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wimborne · Dorset local authority: places and applications

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School is part of Hamwic Education Trust, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Bearwood Primary and Nursery School Bournemouth
• Wimborne First School and Nursery Wimborne
• Talbot Primary School Poole
• Livingstone Road Junior School Poole
• Bishop Aldhelm's Church of England Primary School Poole
• Livingstone Road Infant School Poole
• Hillbourne Primary School Poole
• Springdale First School Broadstone
• Henbury View First School Wimborne
• Upton Infant School Poole

What is Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School have?

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School has 134 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School cover?

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School for pupils aged 5 to 9.

Where is Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School?

Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School is at Hampreston Village, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7LX.