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The Prince of Wales School

Primary · Dorchester · DT1 2HH

Data updated

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Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: OutstandingPersonal development: OutstandingLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 3 June 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

156 pupils · 104% of 150 capacity (over capacity) (January 2026 census)

School type
Community school
Age range
2–9
Gender
Mixed
Free school meals
10.3% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
1.9% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
23.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
7.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
Nursery
Yes
Website
http://www.princeofwales.dorset.sch.uk/
URN
113747

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 37 families named it first for 29 Reception places, 1.28 first choices per place. Its last Reception place offered on distance for 2026 entry went to 0.867 miles, the only Reception round we hold for it. At its inspection on 3 June 2025 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 5.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

1.28 first-choice applications per place

29 places offered · 37 first-choice applications · oversubscribed

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Places by distance, last offered at 0.867 miles for 2026 entry.

Admissions cutoff distance: Reception

Last child offered a place under the distance criterion (2026 entry) lived within 0.867 miles

measurement method not stated by the council.

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Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

Special educational needs

Needs this school records that it caters for, in the order it lists them.

Provision type: Resourced provision.

Resourced provision
6 of 8 places taken nearly full

Unit places come from the school census and describe the position when it was taken, not today. Confirm with the local authority before relying on them.

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 85% (Dorset 88%, England 60%) · Mixed White and Asian 4% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Asian Indian 3% (Dorset 1%, England 4%) · Any other Mixed background 2% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Any other White background 2% (Dorset 3%, England 7%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Not recorded 1% (Dorset 1%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · Asian Chinese 1% (Dorset 0%, England 1%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
5.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
9.5%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

0.00 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Dorset: 2.92 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
21.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

100% of teachers stayed at the school the following year

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained primaries: 0.18% vacant, 0.36% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

25% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.5 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £53,175; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£11,102
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 64% (76%) · premises 6% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 7% (8%) · supplies and services 10% (9%) · educational supplies 5% (4%) · bought-in professional services 2% (3%) · catering 3% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve -£29,934; in-year balance -£63,815

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
5/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
8/10less deprived than most of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher40.3%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications13.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work38.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways11.8%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.1%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.4%62.3%
Social housing14.2%17.1%
Privately rented7.4%20.5%
Detached houses38.6%22.9%
Flats10.6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms30.3%21.1%
Households with no car or van13%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020526 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£332,000202 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£270,000–£411,500the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (65)£470,000
Semi-detached (52)£340,000
Terraced (48)£295,000
Flat (37)£178,000

Homes around this school are dearer than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
0an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
5an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
0an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools