St Mary's CofE First School & Nursery
Station Road, Ferndown, BH22 0JF
148 pupils · 80% of 184 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2–9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE HEATH ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Free school meals
- 16.6%
Ofsted
No overall grade (2025) — Inspected 2024–2025 — no overall grade under the interim framework
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 23 April 2025, published 19 May 2025. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.1 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 29 | 32 | 75 | 29 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 21 | 16 | 52 | 21 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 22 | 21 | 53 | 22 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 27 | 19 | 48 | 20 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 30 | 37 | 69 | 30 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 30 | 32 | 63 | 30 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 19 | 15 | 48 | 19 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 30 | 31 | 67 | 30 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Oakhurst Community First School 1 km · Most areas: Expected standard (2026)
- Three Legged Cross First and Nursery School 2.9 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Ferndown First School 3.1 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Parley First School 4 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- St Ives Primary & Nursery School 4.8 km · Outstanding (2023) · previous system
- Verwood Church of England First School 4.8 km · Good (2023) · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.