SchoolFacts.uk

Symondsbury Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Primary · Bridport · DT6 6HD

Data updated

⇄ Compare with another school
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 7 May 2025

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

107 pupils · 96% of 112 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary aided school
Age range
4–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
14% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
1% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
18.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
3.8% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
http://www.symondsbury.dorset.sch.uk
URN
113815

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 13 families named it first for 14 Reception places, 0.93 first choices per place. At its inspection on 7 May 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 4.1% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Reception entry, September 2026

0.93 first-choice applications per place

14 places offered · 13 first-choice applications · roughly balanced

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

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

12 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
67%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
17%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
105
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
103
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school67%
Median of its 12 closest peers61.5%
Dorset average56.5%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
Denbury Primary SchoolNewton Abbot · 42 miles awayGood31%
Kilham Church of England Voluntary Controlled SchoolDriffield · 251 miles awayGood89%
Stradbroke Church of England Primary SchoolEye · 206 miles awayGood60%
Glazebury Church of England Primary SchoolWarrington · 189 miles awayGood89%
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child OkefordBlandford Forum · 27 miles awayNeeds attention43%
Great Hockham Primary School and NurseryThetford · 199 miles awayExpected standard65%
John Donne Church of England Primary SchoolBedford · 144 miles awayNeeds attention29%
Tolleshunt D'Arcy St Nicholas Primary AcademyMaldon · 171 miles awayGood65%
Merriott Primary SchoolMerriott · 12 miles awayGood30%
West Wittering Parochial Church of England SchoolChichester · 83 miles awayGood13%
Bucklesham Primary SchoolIpswich · 197 miles awayGood71%
Kennall Vale SchoolTruro · 110 miles awayNo current grade63%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 94% (Dorset 88%, England 60%) · Any other White background 3% (Dorset 3%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 1% (Dorset 1%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Dorset 1%, England 2%) · White Irish 1% (Dorset 0%, England 0%)

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)
4.1%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
6.2%
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

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

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
19.1
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)

60% of teachers took sickness absence, 2.8 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 £50,994; 25% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

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

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,280
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 79% (76%) · premises 5% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 5% (8%) · supplies and services 11% (9%) · educational supplies 5% (4%) · bought-in professional services 3% (3%) · catering 3% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £57,271; in-year balance +£6,258

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

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)
6/10around the middle for England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
6/10around the middle for England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher35.1%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications15%18.1%
In managerial or professional work35.8%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways16.1%18.1%
Residents in very good health41.8%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier78.2%62.3%
Social housing3.8%17.1%
Privately rented18%20.5%
Detached houses55.1%22.9%
Flats3.5%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms25.9%21.1%
Households with no car or van10.6%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01020517 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£392,50013 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£280,000–£455,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (5)£540,000

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

No collision was reported to the police within 500 m of the school in 2021–2025.

Child pedestrian casualties
0a rural school averages 0.3
Collisions at school-run times
0a rural school averages 0.7
All reported collisions
0a rural school averages 3.4
Of those, serious or fatal
0a rural school averages 0.9

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