St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster

Dorset · DT2 9RD

General information Primary School · 4-9 years Who goes here 148 pupils, 9.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted and results

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 15.5% on SEN support Behaviour 4.1% absence rate Staff Awaiting data Financials £4,295 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster

General Information

Address: West Hill, Charminster, Dorchester, DT2 9RD – View on map
Phone: 01305263880
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Mick Homer
Age range: 4-9 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

148 pupils out of 150 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 14
% eligible for free school meals: 9.5%
Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (less mixed than the Dorset average)
English as an additional language: 3% (England 22%)

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Dorset: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Dorset, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 4.8%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 15.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 4.7%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 12 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 2 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
Vision impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

An Ofsted rating for this school hasn't been added yet.

Year 6 SATs results

Year 6 SATs results for this school haven't been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £4,295 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

102nd of 103 primary schools in Dorset for spending per pupil

#100Manor Park Church of England First School£5,358
#101Rushcombe First School£5,073
#102St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster£4,295
#103All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£2,784

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Thorncombe, St Mary's Church of England Primary Academy£15,705
#2Powerstock Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£13,171
#3Marshwood CofE Primary Academy£11,275
#4Piddle Valley Church of England First School£11,182
#5Portesham Church of England Primary School£10,667
#6Cheselbourne Village School£10,457
#7The Prince of Wales School£10,234
#8Sturminster Marshall First School£10,018
#9Milborne St Andrew First School£9,979
#10St Gregory's Church of England Primary School, Marnhull£9,877
#11Wimborne St Giles Church of England First School and Nursery£9,455
#12Cranborne Church of England First School£9,153
#13Sixpenny Handley First School and Nursery£9,110
#14Bridport, St Mary's Church of England Primary School£9,082
#15Witchampton Church of England First School£8,961
#16Winterbourne Valley Church of England Aided First School£8,861
#17Charmouth Primary School£8,771
#18St Michael's CofE Primary School, Lyme Regis£8,699
#19Beechcroft St Paul's CofE Primary School£8,697
#20Wool Church of England Primary School£8,652
#21Gillingham Primary School£8,470
#22Stower Provost Community School£8,448
#23St George's Church of England Primary School, Langton Matravers£8,253
#24Beaminster St Mary's Academy£8,120
#25Dunbury Church of England Academy£8,115
#26Broadwindsor Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£8,115
#27St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School£7,957
#28Downlands Community School£7,923
#29Bere Regis Primary and Preschool£7,908
#30Corfe Castle Church of England Primary School£7,877
#31Cerne Abbas CofE VC First School£7,847
#32Bincombe Valley Primary School£7,760
#33Loders CofE Primary Academy£7,696
#34Swanage St Mark's Church of England Primary School£7,617
#35Bovington Academy£7,603
#36Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,454
#37Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,441
#38Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School£7,441
#39St James Church of England First School£7,392
#40St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Marnhull£7,345
#41Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,278
#42Lulworth and Winfrith CofE Primary School£7,250
#43St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery£7,221
#44Parrett and Axe Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£7,191
#45St Catherine's Roman Catholic School£7,178
#46St Andrew's Church of England Primary School£7,169
#47St John's Church of England Primary School£7,157
#48William Barnes Primary School£7,154
#49Maiden Newton, Greenford Church of England Primary School£7,010
#50Hazelbury Bryan Primary School£6,957
#51Parley First School£6,906
#52Holy Trinity Church of England VC Primary School & Community Nursery£6,890
#53Pamphill Church of England First School£6,871
#54Burton Bradstock Church of England Voluntary Controlled School£6,838
#55Trinity Church of England First School£6,812
#56Archbishop Wake Church of England Primary School£6,724
#57Chickerell Primary Academy£6,621
#58Broadmayne First School and Nursery£6,617
#59Swanage Primary School£6,574
#60St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School£6,565
#61Durweston Church of England Primary School£6,511
#62Stoborough Church of England Primary School£6,500
#63Ferndown First School£6,497
#64St James' Church of England First School and Nursery, Alderholt£6,496
#65Milton-on-Stour Church of England Primary School£6,492
#66Conifers Primary School£6,457
#67Wareham St Mary Church of England Primary School£6,451
#68Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney£6,445
#69Milldown CofE Academy£6,430
#70Wyke Primary School£6,374
#71Frome Valley CofE First School£6,338
#72Blandford St Mary Church of England Primary School£6,316
#73St George's Church of England School, Bourton£6,311
#74Bridport Primary School£6,240
#75Oakhurst Community First School£6,211
#76Henbury View First School£6,172
#77Pimperne Church of England VC Primary School£6,149
#78Stalbridge Church of England Primary School£6,118
#79Trent Young's CofE Primary School£6,110
#80Hayeswood First School£6,070
#81St John's Church of England First School, Wimborne£6,064
#82Hampreston Church of England Voluntary Aided First School£6,037
#83The Abbey CofE VA Primary School, Shaftesbury£6,022
#84St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage£6,017
#85St Mary's Catholic First School, Dorchester£6,006
#86Wimborne First School and Nursery£5,995
#87Spetisbury CofE Primary School£5,973
#88Puddletown Church of England First School£5,919
#89Damers First School£5,895
#90Hillside Community First School£5,879
#91Southill Primary School£5,879
#92Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School£5,822
#93Colehill First School£5,776
#94St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Weymouth£5,698
#95St George's Foundation Primary School£5,657
#96Lytchett Matravers Primary School£5,594
#97Verwood Church of England First School£5,478
#98Radipole Primary School£5,435
#99St Ives Primary & Nursery School£5,363
#100Manor Park Church of England First School£5,358
#101Rushcombe First School£5,073
#102St Mary's Church of England First School, Charminster£4,295
#103All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School£2,784

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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